In a surprise attack on Saturday morning, the Hamas militant group fired thousands of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel.
This resulted in large plumes of black smoke rising from several Israeli towns. Social media images depicted cars on fire and some damaged buildings. The Israeli ambulance service reported one fatality and at least 15 individuals wounded as a result of the attacks, Sky News reported.
Mobile phone footage showed Hamas fighters attempting to reach Israel by sea using small boats, and an unusual development occurred as Palestinian fighters crossed the border using paragliders, eventually reaching the town of Sderot where gun battles ensued. Cameras captured them entering the town in pickup trucks and on motorbikes.
Air raid sirens sounded across southern and central Israel, and explosions were reported in cities like Tel Aviv, Ashkelon, Yavne, and Kfar Aviv. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue agency reported a critically injured 70-year-old woman due to a rocket strike on a building in southern Israel, as well as a 20-year-old man moderately injured by rocket shrapnel.
In response to these attacks, the Israeli military launched strikes on targets within the Gaza Strip. The military claimed that “a number of militants have infiltrated into Israeli territory,” prompting residents along the border area to be ordered to remain indoors.
Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, headed to Tel Aviv for an urgent update, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting of his security cabinet.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a warning that “the Hamas militant group will pay a very heavy price” for their actions.
Hamas stated that their operation had just begun and was in response to Israeli violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and around the Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem.
The militant group also called on armed groups in Lebanon to join the fighting. Senior Hamas military commander Mohammad Deif announced on Hamas radio that 5,000 rockets had been launched, declaring it “the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on earth
