Hundreds are reported dead in Israel after Hamas Palestinian militants launched a stunning surprise attack on Saturday, invading multiple towns in southern Israel by land, sea, and air after firing thousands of rockets and missiles at Israeli cities. The wide-scale offensive, which marked the 50th anniversary of Israel’s 1973 War, is the largest the country has faced in decades, and a startling escalation of the endless conflict between Israel and Palestinians militants in the occupied territories, including Gaza, which has been under an strict Israeli blockade since Hamas took control of the densely populated strip of land in 2007.
“We are at war,” Israeli prime minister Bibi Netanyahu said in a national address responding to the attack, vowing to “return fire of a magnitude that the enemy has not known.” Israel quickly launched a massive wave of retaliatory airstrikes in Gaza and called up military reservists.
Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, said it conducted “coordinated” attacks on 50 targets, and that fighting was ongoing at 25 locations, including Israel’s Ra’im military base. Israel says fighting continues in 22 locations, and that it conducted airstrikes on nearly 20 targets in Gaza linked to Hamas leadership.
President Biden called the attack “appalling” in a statement on Saturday and affirmed the United States’ “rock solid and unwavering” support for Israel and its right to defend itself. Numerous other Western leaders have also condemned the attack.
Israeli authorities say at least 70 Israelis have been killed in the violence, and that militants captured numerous military personnel and civilians and moved them to the Gaza Strip. It’s not clear how many.
Nearly 200 people have been killed and more than 1,600 wounded by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. One airstrike leveled a 14-story residential/office tower in Gaza:
