A surprise attack by Hamas militants from Gaza at daybreak killed at least 200 Israelis on Saturday even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared "war" and said his country would extract an "unprecedented price" from its enemy.
Israel's national rescue service said at least 200 people were killed and more than 1100 wounded in terror attacks by Hamas terrorists, making the operation the deadliest in Israeli territory in years. In the Gaza Strip, at least 198 people have been killed and 1610 wounded in Israel's retaliatory attacks.
Hamas gunmen stormed at least 22 locations outside Gaza Strip, foraying as deep as 24 km from the border, overrunning many Israeli towns. The wandered around Israeli territory with impunity, shooting down civilians and soldiers at will, even taking many Israeli hostages.
"The fighting in southern Israel is still ongoing. Our security forces are securing areas which are under attack by Hamas terrorists who infiltrated Israeli communities and who have taken civilians captive," the Foreign Ministry said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“We are at war, not in an operation or in rounds, but at war. This morning, Hamas launched a murderous surprise attack against the State of Israel and its citizens. We have been in this since the early morning hours,” Netanyahu told his countrymen in a televised address.
“I convened the heads of the security establishment and ordered, first of all, to clear out the communities that have been infiltrated by terrorists. This is currently being carried out. At the same time, I have ordered an extensive mobilization of reserves and that we return fire of a magnitude that the enemy has not known. The enemy will pay an unprecedented price,” he said in his first public comment since the attack began in the morning.
The Israel Defence Force (IDF) said it has launched operation ‘Iron Swords' in response to Hamas's surprise attack -- by air, land and sea -- comprising a barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip and infiltration into its heavily fortified border in the southern area that caught the country off-guard on a major holiday.
Meanwhile, at least 198 people in the Gaza Strip have been killed in Israel's retaliation and at least 1,610 wounded, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said.
The government did not specify where the killings happened or if they were Hamas terrorists or civilians in Gaza.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed solidarity with Israel and condemned the "terrorist attacks".
"Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour," Modi said.
The Indian embassy asked all Indian nationals in Israel to “remain vigilant” and “observe safety protocols.”
The advisory gave relevant phone numbers in case of emergency and also provided URLs for Israeli Home Front Command and Preparedness brochures.
Meanwhile, Air India cancelled its flight from the national capital to Tel Aviv amid the Israeli city coming under attack by Hamas militants.
The full-service carrier operates five weekly flights to Tel Aviv. The service is on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
IDF spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters that more than 2,200 rockets have been fired into Israel since 6:30 AM. There are at least seven sites where Israeli troops were battling the infiltrators, Hagari added.
Hamas' action is against what it termed as “aggression against the Al-Aqsa Mosque.” A senior commander from the Islamic faction Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has claimed that thousands of rockets were launched from Gaza into Israel.
Hamas also claimed it had launched 5,000 rockets towards Israel in the early morning barrage that it has called “Operation al-Aqsa Flood.”
Israel's Minister of Defence, Yoav Gallant said, “The IDF troops are fighting against the enemy at every location. I call on all of Israel's citizens to follow security instructions.”
United States President Joe Biden vowed to stand with Israel and expressed readiness to offer all appropriate means of support to the Jewish nation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is "at war" after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Saturday, firing thousands of rockets and entering Israel by land, sea and air using paragliders. At least 100 people were killed in Israel in the attacks.
“The United States unequivocally condemns this appalling assault against Israel by Hamas terrorists from Gaza, and I made clear to Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu that we stand ready to offer all appropriate means of support to the Government and people of Israel,” said President Biden, who is personally monitoring the situation and spoke with Netanyahu on the horrific and ongoing attacks in Israel.
Ha'aretz online reported quoting the Head of Hamas' military wing, Mohammed Deif's from his statement: “We warned the enemy not to continue its aggression against the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
“This is only the first stage,” of Hamas' renewed efforts against Israel, he said.
Deif urged Arabs in Jerusalem and inside Israel, in the Negev, the Galilee and northern Israel to join the "revolution" and “set the earth on fire under the feet of the occupiers."
Deif also called upon the “Islamic resistance” in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon to “merge their resistance with that of the Palestinians,” and “start marching towards Palestine now.”
Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of Hamas, considered its leader in the West Bank, issued a similar statement calling on the Arab and Islamic nations to join “Operation al-Aqsa Flood.”
Meanwhile, the head of the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council, Ofir Liebstein, was killed during the fighting with the infiltrators.
“Ofir was killed when he went to defend a town during the terrorist attack,” the Council was quoted by local media as saying.
The Israeli military has issued instructions to the residents of towns near the Gaza Strip to remain in their homes, and the rest of the public to remain near bomb shelters.
At least nine Nepalese nationals were injured in the terrorist attack by the Hamas militant group in Israel on Saturday, the Nepal government said as it condemned the unprecedented assault and vowed solidarity with Tel Aviv.
The Nepali government has strongly condemned the "loss of precious human life" in the attack that also "injured many more”, said a statement issued Nepali Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“At this critical hour, we convey our solidarity with the government of Israel,” the statement said.
Unconfirmed reports of people being taken hostages and kidnapping of soldiers have been doing the rounds, but they remain unverified.
The unprecedented attack meanwhile had led to internal unity with protest leaders calling off ongoing demonstrations against the government's judicial overhaul plan and protesting soldiers, who were boycotting army duty, at once deciding to report for duty.
The serious invasion on Simchat Torah revived painful memories of the 1973 war practically 50 years to the day, in which Israel's enemies launched a surprise attack on Yom Kippur.
