At least 300 Israelis have reportedly been killed, hundreds wounded and as as many as 100 are being held hostages after an unprecedented land, air and sea offensive by armed group Hamas.
Israel has also launched retaliatory strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip, and the air strikes have killed more than 250 people, according to Palestinian officials.
The surprise attacks by Hamas led to the deadliest day for Israel and come after months of surging violence between Palestinians and Israelis.
Fast Facts
- Hamas launched an unprecedented attack, firing more than 3,500 rockets at Israel.
- At least 300 Israelis were killed in the attack and hundreds more were wounded.
- In Gaza, at least 256 Palestinians have died and more than 1,700 are wounded.
- Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel is “at war” after surprise Hamas attack and called for a massive military response.
- Hamas claims it has captured dozens of Israelis, including soldiers.
Hamas launched a surprise military offensive against Israel on Saturday which began with rocket fire and Palestinian fighters taking a number of Israelis hostage.
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 8, 2023
Israel has retaliated by launching air attacks on the Gaza Strip ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/3W3w6YdCOG
What happened?
Palestinian militant group Hamas launched its biggest attack on Israel on Saturday, with rocket strikes, killings and hostage taking.
“We announce the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and we announce that the first strike, which targeted enemy positions, airports, and military fortifications, exceeded 5,000 missiles and shells,” Mohammed Deif, head of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said.
Hamas claimed to have initiated their attack with 5,000 rockets, while Israel’s military reported Hamas fired 3,000 rockets. Smoke engulfed residential areas in Israel, prompting people to seek shelter behind buildings amid blaring sirens.
Israeli civilians ran for shelters and soldiers engaged in street battles with Hamas fighters in the southern part of the country and exchanged strikes with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group in the north.
Hamas gunmen used explosives to breach the border fence surrounding Gaza, then entered Israeli territory using motorcycles, pickup trucks, paragliders, and speed boats along the coast. They infiltrated as many as 22 locations beyond the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Israel’s retaliatory strikes resulted in the destruction of buildings in Gaza, increasing the likelihood of a wider conflict. UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinians, said more than 20,000 Palestinians left Gaza’s border region to head further inside the territory and take refuge in UN schools.
🇮🇱🇵🇸 Residential Palestine Tower in the heart of Gaza City targeted in direct hit ON LIVE TV by Israel. pic.twitter.com/u4wBLg45mt
— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle) October 7, 2023
Hamas attack stuns Israel
The sudden well-coordinated attack by Hamas on the 50th anniversary of the start of the 1973 Yom Kippur war, once again appeared to have taken Israeli military by surprise.
“As we can see it, Israel was completely surprised, by a very well coordinated attack,” said retired General Giora Eiland, a former head of Israel’s National Security Council.
Israel’s security apparatus appeared to falter as a group of Hamas gunmen managed to breach security fences and disperse into nearby towns. Analysts described this breach as a “significant intelligence failure” and a huge “security lapse” that undermined Israel’’s previously perceived robust and effective layered approach to Gaza.
unprecedented failure of israel intelligence—the most important component of the country’s national security.
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) October 7, 2023
utter desperation of gaza palestinians, with many seeing no options for their future but the launch of a suicidal war.
such a tragic situation, with huge human…
“What happened today is unprecedented in Israel – and I will see to it that it does not happen again. The entire government is behind this decision” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Death toll in Israel climbs to 300 in Hamas attack
At least 300 Israeli citizens and soldiers have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, according to Israeli media and medical teams. The amount of wounded people has risen to at least 1,860.
The death toll may rise as Hamas militants and Israeli fighters continue battling near Gaza. The local media reports suggest that nearly a 100 Israeli civilians and soldiers have been taken hostage by Hamas.
Since 6AM today in Israel:
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 7, 2023
🔺3,000+ rockets launched by Hamas in Gaza toward Israel.
🔺20+ communities in southern Israel invaded by Hamas terrorist operatives.
🔺Terrorists rampaged and broke into homes—massacring civilians.
🔺Israeli civilians and soldiers have been…
“Israel is waking up this morning to a terrible morning. There are a lot of people killed. People have been kidnapped into Gaza, not only soldiers but civilians, children,” Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said. “We have lost soldiers, we have lost commanders, we have lost a lot of civilians,” he added. This is reported to be the first time in more than 17 years that an Israeli soldier was taken as a prisoner of war.
More than 250 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza says 256 people have died since the first attacks early October 7 morning. The ministry said 1,788 people were injured, including 121 chiLdren. All the dead were described as “victims of the Israeli aggression.”
Israeli forces struck 426 targets in Gaza, including 10 towers used by Hamas, the IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said.
In the Gaza Strip, at least 256 people were killed in Israeli strikes, including 20 children, and close to 1,800 wounded, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Israel struck 426 targets in Gaza, flattening residential buildings, its military said. https://t.co/DdyI3zY2vh
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 8, 2023
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says his people have the right to defend themselves against the “terror of settlers and occupation troops”.
Netanyahu warns of ‘long and difficult war’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country is “embarking on a long and difficult war” as it deals with a hostage crisis after Palestinian militants launched a surprise land, sea and air attack from Gaza. “The enemy will pay a price it has never known before,” he warned.
Netanyahu responded to the Hamas attacks by vowing to retaliate. “All the places that Hamas hides in, operates from, we will turn them into ruins,” Netanyahu said during a televised speech on October 7 night, adding that the war will “take time.”
This morning, on Shabbat and a holiday, Hamas invaded Israeli territory and murdered innocent citizens including children and the elderly. Hamas has started a brutal and evil war.
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 8, 2023
We will be victorious in this war despite an unbearable price. This is a very difficult day for all…
Israel cutting off electricity, fuel and food supply to Gaza
Israel’s government will halt the supply of electricity, fuel and goods to Gaza, according to a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.