There is no fighting going on between Israel Defense Forces troops and Hamas inside Israel, and the IDF has re-taken control of all communities around the Gaza Strip, IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters Monday morning.
Israel at War with Hamas After Unprecedented Attacks
Israel pounded the Palestinian enclave of Gaza on Sunday, killing hundreds of people in retaliation for one of the bloodiest attacks in its history when Islamist group Hamas killed 700 Israelis and abducted dozens more.
Hamas fighters’ rampage through Israeli towns on Saturday was the deadliest such incursion since Egypt and Syria’s attacks in the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago and has threatened to ignite another conflagration in the long-running conflict.
Israel attacks: All you need to know
1. A surprise attack by Hamas militants from Gaza at daybreak prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare “war” and he asserted that his country would extract an “unprecedented price” from its enemy. “We are at war, not in an operation or in rounds, but at war. This morning, Hamas launched a murderous surprise attack against the State of Israel and its citizens. We have been in this since the early morning hours,” Netanyahu told his countrymen in a televised address.
2. The Israel Defence Force (IDF) said it has launched operation ‘Iron Swords’ in response to Hamas’s surprise attack by air, land and sea comprising a barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip and infiltration into its heavily fortified border in the southern area that caught the country off-guard on a major holiday.
3. At least 198 people in the Gaza Strip have been killed in Israel’s retaliation and at least 1,610 wounded, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said, according to a report in Associated Press.
4. More than 5,000 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Saturday, Hamas’ armed wing said, declaring it had started “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood”, according to an AFP report. “We decided to put an end to all the crimes of the occupation (Israel), their time for rampaging without being held accountable is over,” the group said.
“We announce Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and we fired, in the first strike of 20 minutes, more than 5,000 rockets.”
5. The attack marked an unprecedented infiltration into Israel by an unknown number of Hamas gunmen crossing from the Gaza Strip, and the heaviest blow for Israel in the conflict with Palestinians since the suicide bombings of the Second Intifada some two decades ago.
6. At least 561 wounded people were being treated in Israeli hospitals, including at least 77 who were in critical condition, according to an Associated Press count based on public statements and calls to hospitals.
7. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke on the phone with the US president, Joe Biden. “US President Joe Biden called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and emphasized that the US stands alongside Israel and fully supports Israel’s right to self-defense,” Netanyahu’s office wrote on X.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked US President Biden for the unreserved support and made it clear that a forceful, prolonged campaign – which Israel will win – is necessary.”
Ambassador of Israel To Bharat
Israel Defence Minister Statement
Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant announces that he has ordered a “Total Siege” of the Gaza Strip allowing No Food, Fuel, or Electricity alongside anything else to entered the Strip; Gallant further stated, “We are Fighting with Human Animals and we will act accordingly.”
Big Update
Both Hamas and Hezbollah have now claimed that Iranian Intelligence Officials provided Training, Equipment, and Direction for the recent Surprise Attack on Israel and gave the “Green Light” on when to begin at a Meeting of Senior Officials in Beirut last week.
Artillery March On For Op. Swords Of Iron
Israeli Armor including Merkava Mark lll and lV Main Battle Tanks as well as a number of Self-Propelled Artillery Batteries have begun to arrive at “Staging Areas” in Northern Israel near the Border with Lebanon, in order to Defend against any Aggression that is launched by Hezbollah.
Israel Air Force Destroys Hq Linked With Senior Hamas Naval Force
In a retaliatory move against the Hamas attack in Israel, the Israel Air Force on Monday attacked various buildings where the leaders of terrorist organization Hamas was staying, along with several operational headquarters. According to the Israel Air Force, the air force also attacked a headquarters spread over an area of three floors and a headquarters associated with the senior Hamas naval force, Muhammad Kashta. The death toll in Israel since Hamas began its attack has surpassed 700 people, according to officials, The Times of Israel reported citing Hebrew media outlets. Among the dead, dozens of soldiers and police were killed in the attack.
US To Send Military Ships, Aircraft Closer To Israel
The United States will send multiple military ships and aircraft closer to Israel as a show of support, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, with Washington believing Hamas’ deadly attacks may have been motivated to disrupt a potential normalizing of Israel-Saudi Arabia ties. Hamas fighters rampaged through Israeli towns as the country suffered its bloodiest day in decades on Saturday. Israel battered Palestinians with air strikes in Gaza on Sunday, with hundreds reportedly killed on both sides. The spiraling violence threatens to start a major new war in the Middle East. Austin in a statement said he ordered the moving of the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Eastern Mediterranean closer to Israel. The force includes the carrier, a guided missile cruiser and four guided missile destroyers. Austin also said the United States had also taken steps to augment U.S. Air Force F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the region. He said the United States would also provide munitions to Israel.
