Preventing between Israeli forces and the Palestinian militant group Hamas raged Sunday, with tons of killed on either side after a shock assault on Israel prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn they have been “embarking on a long and difficult war”.
The battle’s bloodiest escalation in a long time noticed Hamas perform a large rocket barrage and floor, air and sea offensive early Saturday that Israel’s military stated had killed greater than 200 Israelis and wounded 1,000.
Gaza officers stated intense Israeli air strikes on the coastal enclave had introduced the Palestinian dying toll to at the least 232, with practically 1,700 wounded.
Gun battles raged into Sunday morning between Israeli forces and tons of of Hamas fighters in at the least 22 Israel areas, together with at the least two the place gunmen have been holding hostages, the military stated.
It later added that it had fired artillery on southern Lebanon in response to a shot from the world, with out offering additional particulars.
“We are embarking on a long and difficult war that was forced on us by a murderous Hamas attack,” Netanyahu stated on X, previously Twitter, early Sunday.
“The primary stage is ending at the moment by the destruction of the overwhelming majority of the enemy forces that infiltrated our territory.
“At the same time, we have begun the offensive phase, which will continue with neither limitations nor respite until the objectives are achieved. We will restore security to the citizens of Israel and we will win.”
Earlier, the premier warned that “all the places in which Hamas is based, in this city of evil, all the places Hamas is hiding in, acting from — we’ll turn them into rubble”.
The combating — which comes half a century after the outbreak of the 1973 Arab-Israeli warfare — prompted Israel to chop off Gaza’s electrical energy, gas and items provides, Netanyahu stated.
Because the UN Safety Council referred to as an emergency assembly for Sunday, President Joe Biden voiced “rock solid and unwavering” assist for the US ally and warned “against any other party hostile to Israel seeking advantage in this situation”.
– ‘So many bodies’ –
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken additionally spoke to Egypt, a key middleman between Israel and Hamas in regards to the “urgency in achieving an immediate halt” to the combating, State Division spokesman Matthew Miller stated.
As night time fell, the Israeli military stated its forces have been nonetheless engaged in gun battles in a string of Israel areas, in an operation labelled “Swords of Iron”, as reservists have been being referred to as up.
“There are still 22 locations where we are engaging with terrorists that came into Israel, from the sea, from the land and from the air,” stated military spokesman Richard Hecht on what he labelled a “robust ground invasion”.
The Israeli military launched air strikes into Gaza later within the night time whereas militants fired rockets, an AFP journalist reported.
Hamas earlier launched photos of a number of Israelis taken captive, and one other military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, confirmed that troopers and civilians had been kidnapped.
“I can’t give figures about them at the moment,” he stated, including that Hamas would “pay the price” for the assaults.
Hecht stated there was additionally a “severe hostage situation” within the Negev desert communities of Beeri and Ofakim east of Gaza.
The Islamist group began the multi-pronged assault round 6:30 am (0330 GMT) with hundreds of rockets aimed so far as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, some bypassing the Iron Dome defence system and hitting buildings.
Hamas fighters — travelling in floor autos, motorised paragliders and boats — breached Gaza’s safety barrier and attacked close by Israeli cities and army posts, opening fireplace on residents and passersby.
“Send help, please!” one Israeli lady sheltering together with her two-year-old youngster pleaded as militants exterior opened fireplace and tried to interrupt into their protected room, Israeli media reported.
Our bodies have been strewn on the streets of the Israeli city of Sderot close to Gaza and inside vehicles, the windscreens shattered by a hail of bullets.
“I saw many bodies, of terrorists and civilians,” one man advised AFP, standing beside lined corpses on a highway close to Gevim Kibbutz in southern Israel.
“So many bodies, so many bodies.”
AFP journalists witnessed Palestinian armed males collect round a burning Israeli tank, and others driving a seized Israeli army Humvee car again into Gaza, the place they have been met by cheering crowds.
– ‘Gates of hell’ –
Israeli military Main Basic Ghasan Alyan warned Hamas had “opened the gates of hell”.
An AFP journalist in Gaza noticed clouds of mud from the stays of bombed residential towers which Gaza’s inside ministry stated contained 100 flats.
Israel’s army stated it had warned residents to evacuate earlier than concentrating on the multi-storey buildings utilized by Hamas.
Israel’s state-run electrical energy firm minimize the ability provide to Gaza as military flares lit up the night time sky.
The escalation follows months of rising violence, principally within the occupied West Financial institution, and tensions round Gaza’s border and at contested holy websites in Jerusalem.
Earlier than Saturday, at the least 247 Palestinians, 32 Israelis and two foreigners had been killed this 12 months, together with combatants and civilians, based on Israeli and Palestinian officers.
Hamas labelled its assault “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” and referred to as on “resistance fighters in the West Bank” in addition to in “Arab and Islamic nations” to affix the battle.
Its armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, claimed to have fired greater than 5,000 rockets, whereas Hecht stated Israel had counted greater than 3,000 incoming rockets.
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh stated the group was on the “verge of a great victory”.
“The cycle of intifadas (uprisings) and revolutions in the battle to liberate our land and our prisoners languishing in occupation prisons must be completed,” he stated.
‘Dangerous precipice’
Air raid sirens wailed throughout southern and central Israel, in addition to in Jerusalem. In Tel Aviv, a gaping gap was ripped right into a constructing, with residents boarding a bus to flee to security.
The battle sparked main disruption at Tel Aviv airport, the place many carriers cancelled flights. Faculties will stay closed on Sunday, the beginning of the week in Israel.
Hamas took management of Gaza in 2007, resulting in Israel’s crippling blockade of the impoverished enclave of two.3 million folks.
Israel and Hamas have since fought a number of wars. The final main army change, in Might, killed 34 Palestinians and one Israeli.
In northern Gaza on Saturday, tons of of individuals fled their houses, carrying meals and blankets, an AFP correspondent stated.
Violence additionally erupted throughout the West Financial institution, together with annexed east Jerusalem, with 5 Palestinians killed and 120 wounded in clashes with Israeli forces and settlers, Palestinian medical companies stated.
Western capitals condemned the wave of assaults by Hamas, which Israel, the USA and European Union take into account a terrorist group.
European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen referred to as the assault “terrorism in its most despicable form”.
However Hamas drew assist from different foes of Israel, with Iran’s supreme chief declaring he was “proud” and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah praising the “heroic operation”.
UN Center East peace envoy Tor Wennesland warned of “a dangerous precipice” and referred to as on all sides to “pull back from the brink”.