The Middle East is a bloodbath: Israel declares war
Clashes between Israeli forces and Hamas militants entered their third day. Hamas’s military wing called for an “Aqsa Flood” against Israel. operation. As Hamas militants entered Israel, Israel pressed the button for a large-scale operation called “Iron Swords”. Images of clashes and bombardments were reflected from the Israel-Gaza line throughout the day. Tension is high in the region. Israel continued its airstrikes on Gaza throughout the night. Clashes with Hamas militants also continued in southern Israel. While at least 700 people were killed on the Israeli side as a result of the Hamas operation, 436 Palestinians were killed in Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu said that the Israeli army will target Hamas with “all its forces”. He asked the people of Gaza to leave the territory.
In the early morning hours of the previous day, Israel’s neighborhoods near the Gaza Strip woke up to sirens blaring due to rocket fire.
Tensions on the Israeli-Palestinian border escalated in the morning hours of the previous day when paramotor troops crossed the border.
An Israeli tank was blown up by a drone strike. More than 5,000 rockets were fired within minutes.
The Israeli air defense system “Iron Dome” could not respond to this intensity of attack, and missiles hit many cities, including Tel Aviv.
A group of Hamas members bulldozed the fence on the Gaza border and entered Israeli settlements. They took control of 20 areas. Many civilians were killed in the clashes.
Dozens of Israelis were taken hostage and taken to Gaza. Hamas said the hostages, including senior soldiers, were being held in tunnels.
The Israeli army announced that the number of soldiers killed in Hamas attacks that started the previous day and continued today rose to 73.
The Israeli army spokesperson described the kidnapping of civilians as a “war crime”.
Netanyahu’s government responded to Hamas with a “declaration of war”. Reservists were called up for duty. Air strikes were launched on Gaza.
There has also been much discussion about how Israeli intelligence failed to see Hamas’ large-scale and well-coordinated attacks. An investigation has been launched in Israel.
AIR STRIKES ON GAZA CONTINUE
The “Aqsa Flood” launched by Hamas Israeli planes have been bombing Gaza in response to the operation. The air campaign continued throughout the night. In southern Israeli cities, the army clashed with Hamas members.
Israeli jets struck Hamas targets in Gaza overnight after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced revenge.
Prior to the bombardment, electricity was cut in most parts of the city of 2.5 million people. In response, Hamas fired dozens of rockets towards Israeli cities.
DEATH TOLL RISES TO 436, INCLUDING 91 CHILDREN
In a written statement made by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, information was given on the casualties and wounded in the region.
In the statement, it was stated that 436 people, 91 of them children and 61 women, lost their lives and 2 thousand 271 people, 224 of them children and 151 women, were injured in the Israeli attacks on Gaza since 3 days.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement that a total of 15 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank cities of Hebron, Ramallah, Jericho, Nablus and Qalqilya, including Jerusalem, as a result of the fire opened by Israeli forces since October 7.
500 HAMAS TARGETS HIT IN GAZA
The Israeli army said in a statement that 500 targets belonging to Hamas were hit during the night.
“A WAR LIKE THIS DOESN’T END IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed the public regarding the attacks on Israel from Gaza.
Herzog said that the current developments in Israel are part of a wider war, and added: “Such a war does not end in the blink of an eye. Our enemies are making significant psychological efforts – cyber-attacks, publishing false images and reports. All this is aimed at instilling fear and anxiety in us.”
Herzog said that “it is an indisputable fact that the State of Israel has no choice but to succeed.”
Asking them not to be complacent, Herzog said that difficult days await them and that it is necessary to “unite against the enemy and act as one fist”.
On the other hand, the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders organization reported that two photojournalists were killed in Israeli attacks.
“750 ISRAELIS MISSING”
Israeli media reported that at least 750 Israelis have been missing since the beginning of the fighting.
In the morning, Israeli forces responded to an attack on Israel from the Lebanese side with artillery shelling. Targets in Lebanese territory were hit.
CLASHES CONTINUE
Public order inside Israel has not been fully restored. The Israeli army spokesperson said that the situation in the south of the country is not yet under control and clashes continue.
Gunfire and explosions were heard in the city of Sderot, 15 kilometers from the Gaza border. Hamas claimed that the number of Israelis they had taken hostage was “many times higher than Netanyahu thinks”.
Prime Minister Netanyahu called on opposition leaders to support the formation of a unity government. opposition party leaders said they were ready to put aside their differences in the process.
ISRAELI SOLDIERS MISTAKENLY SHOOT THEIR OWN SOLDIERS NEAR LEBANON BORDER
According to the official Israeli news agency KAN, citing an army spokesperson, Israeli forces operating in a Jewish settlement near Jalil Garbi opened fire at the vehicle as it quickly approached the checkpoint.
It was later understood that the occupants of the military vehicle were soldiers of the Israeli army. The slightly wounded Israeli soldiers were taken to hospital for treatment.
On Sunday, Israel used an armed drone to bomb a tent set up by the Hezbollah organization in the Shebaa Farms area under Israeli occupation.
Also on Sunday, Israeli forces opened fire on a vehicle in the city of Ashdod, near the Gaza border, according to Israel-based Yediot Ahronot. It was revealed that the person killed in the vehicle, which did not obey the stop warning of the Israeli forces and wanted to drive from near Gaza to the central parts of Israel, was an Israeli citizen.
