NEW DELHI: On Saturday, the Palestinian Islamist organisation Hamas carried out its biggest attack on Israel in years, launching a surprising assault that involved armed people infiltrating several Israeli towns and a significant barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.
Israeli authorities have issued an announcement indicating a “state of war” across the nation, resulting in widespread activation of bomb sirens. More than 5,000 rockets have been launched into Israel, causing significant disruptions and chaos throughout the entire country.
Several videos circulating on social media depict Hamas members ransacking the state. The city of Jerusalem and its adjacent regions are also witnessing a tumultuous situation. The Israeli Defence Force has designated these areas as unstable, and civilians have been advised to seek shelter indoors to protect themselves from the attacks by the militant group.
Many Palestinian terrorists have infiltrated Israel & attacking civilians.
Israel is under attack like 26/11 Mumbai attack in India. pic.twitter.com/8Kr6BoKUUX
— Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) October 7, 2023
#BREAKING: Massive attacks against Israel underway by Hamas terrorists. More than 50 Hamas terrorists seem to have infiltrated into Southern Israel through land, air and sea.
Major attacks in Ashkelon & Tel Aviv. Many casualties of settlers & forces. Reports of many abductions. pic.twitter.com/dhVKeYTRBY
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) October 7, 2023
WATCH GORY VIDEO: Unashamed of indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians in Gaza on Saturday, Palestinians stripped the corpse of an Israeli woman, paraded it and danced around it amid insensitive and loud Allah-o-Akbar chants.#Gaza #Mossad #IsraelAttack #Israel #Hamas… pic.twitter.com/8mttwG8XbZ
— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) October 7, 2023
Many civilians have sought refuge in bomb shelters and secure rooms to shield themselves from the ongoing and persistent attacks. Maya Kadosh, the National Coordinator for the United Nations Climate Change Conference for Israel, took to the microblogging site, X, and remarked, “My home is under attack for the last 3 hours , sirens are wailing and we can clearly hear the incoming rockets. The entire family is in the safe room and we are ok. I will keep you all updated, thank you for the messages of support.”
My home is under attack for the last 3 hours , sirens are wailing and we can clearly hear the incoming rockets. The entire family is in the safe room and we are ok. I will keep you all updated, thank you for the messages of support 🙏
— Maya Kadosh (@MayaKadosh) October 7, 2023
According to reports, a significant portion of Southern Israel has experienced infiltrations, with cities such as Ashkelon and the capital city, Tel Aviv, being subjected to continuous gunfire. Reports have indicated that the infiltrating militants have allegedly kidnapped several civilians and political figures. However, official statistics have not yet been disclosed.
The Israeli ambassador to India, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan emphasised that the Hamas militants had chosen to target Israelis during their most vulnerable time, which was during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah.
#Israel is under a combined attack from Gaza during the Jewish holiday.
Both by rockets and ground infiltration of Hamas terrorists.The situation is not simple but Israel will prevail.
— Naor Gilon (@NaorGilon) October 7, 2023
The infiltrators had claimed ownership of the rocket attacks to “put an end to all the crimes of the occupation”. They declared, “We decided to put an end to all the crimes of the occupation (Israel), their time for rampaging without being held accountable is over. We announced Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and we fired, in the first strike of 20 minutes, more than 5,000 rockets.”
As per an AFP report, hundreds of Palestinian residents along Israeli borders on the Gaza Strip have fled to more secure areas. Hamas’ attack arrived in the wake of Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip alongside Jenin in Palestine, from May through June, this year. The contentious territory has been blockaded by Israel for over a decade since 2007.