“We are at war,” Netanyahu tells nation in special address. Defense Minister Gallant approves military call up. Unconfirmed reports suggest IDF soldier kidnapped. Footage shows Hamas terrorists on motorbikes driving freely on the streets of Israeli towns shouting “God is Great” and firing at residents. Hamas military commander: This is in response to Al-Alqsa Mosque “desecration.”
Last modified: 10-07-2023 12:25
Rockets are fired toward Israel from Gaza, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023 | Photo: AP / Fatima Shbair
The IDF confirmed early Saturday morning that Palestinian terrorists have infiltrated into Israel from the Gaza Strip. It has ordered residents along the border area to remain indoors and warned on Twitter, “We will defend ourselves.” It added, “Hamas will pay a heavy price for this provocation.” Toward 12:30 local time the Israeli authorities confirmed that at least 20 Israeli residents had been killed by terrorists, although it was unclear how many were civilians and soldiers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was informed of the events and was monitoring the situation. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant approved the call-up of many reservists as deemed necessary, with the IDF saying it was elevating its readiness level to “war.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video statement in which he vowed that “our enemy will pay a price the type of which it has never known.” He added in his special address, “We are at war.”
Video: Reuters / Israeli firefighters attempt to put out fires after rockets fired from Gaza
The announcement came just over an hour after terrorists in Gaza began firing dozens of rockets into Israel. One Israeli woman was killed in the rocket attacks as of Sunday morning.
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Hamas said the leader of its military wing, Mohammed Deif, announced on Gaza television that this was in response to “the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque.” He called on other terrorist groups in Lebanon to join the fighting. There was an unconfirmed report that there was one Israeli captive, apparently a soldier, taken into the Gaza Strip. Some of the Hamas terrorists entered by overland routes after breaching the border fence, others by meanparagliderslides. “There are quite a few locations in the south where terrorists are still present in the south,” the IDF said. As of Saturday noon, there were at least several towns that were controlled by terrorists.
Video: Terrorists enter border towns near Gaza / Credit: Social media
As the rocket attacks continued throughout southern and central Israel, millions of Israelis were instructed to stay near bomb shelters in their homes and apartment buildings. The army said residents next to Gaza should stay in their homes due to the “security incident as of Saturday morning, there were several confirmed cases of gunbattle in southern towns. Some Israeli reports said that residents were pleading with IDF to troops to rush to the scene, with footage showing Hamas terrorists on motorbikes driving freely on the streets of Israeli towns shouting “God is Great” and firing at residents.
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Israel ordered residents near Gaza to remain indoors as it said a “suspected security incident” along the border had occurred.
The sound of outgoing rockets whooshing through the air could be heard in Gaza and sirens wailed as far away as Tel Aviv, some 70 kilometers (40 miles) to the north, during an early morning barrage that lasted more than 30 minutes. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue agency said a 70-year-old woman was critically injured when a rocket hit a building in southern Israel. Elsewhere, a 20-year-old man was moderately injured by rocket shrapnel, it said.
Content retrieved from: https://www.israelhayom.com/2023/10/07/sirens-blast-in-israel-as-hamas-fires-rockets-terrorists-enter-border-towns/.
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