In a startling and unexpected move, Palestinians have initiated their largest operation against Israel in years, catching the nation off guard. This surprise offensive saw a combination of fighters crossing the Israeli-occupied territories’ borders and a heavy barrage of rockets launched from the Gaza Strip.
Footage circulating online purportedly reveals Palestinian resistance fighters within an Israeli military base, with the lifeless bodies of soldiers strewn across the ground. Israeli media reports have confirmed that at least 100 Israelis have lost their lives in this assault, with over 900 individuals sustaining injuries & 35 israeli soldiers captured.
The Times of Israel has reported that Palestinian fighters successfully infiltrated the town of Sderot and other nearby settlements. Hamas, a Palestinian political and military organization, has even released a video showcasing the capture of three Israeli individuals.
A statement displayed against a black background in Hebrew on the video suggested that it was filmed on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing into Gaza. Meanwhile, other social media videos depicted multiple individuals in military attire.
This unprecedented offensive was initiated just before 7 a.m., coinciding with the last day of the weeklong Sukkot festival celebrated by Israelis. Videos captured young Israelis fleeing in panic when Palestinian fighters disrupted a music festival in the desert.
Red alert warning sirens were activated in several Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv, Sde Boker, Arad, and Dimona, as residents heard the terrifying sounds of explosions. Rocket strikes in Ashkelon resulted in cars engulfed in flames.
Hamas’ armed wing claimed responsibility for firing over 7,000 rockets from Gaza into Israel, officially dubbing this operation as “Operation al-Aqsa Storm.” Their statement declared an end to the perceived impunity of Israeli actions and aggression.
In a show of solidarity, the Gaza-based Islamic Jihad announced that its fighters had joined the operation. Hamas called on Palestinians everywhere to rise up, urging resistance groups in Lebanon to join the struggle against Israel.
Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh proclaimed that this operation would not remain confined to Gaza but would spread to the West Bank and beyond, wherever Palestinian communities are present.
Several videos emerged, depicting the destruction caused by Palestinian attacks on Israeli military assets, including a quadcopter-dropped bomb on a Merkava tank. In one video, Palestinians were seen extracting an Israeli soldier from a vehicle.
Reports from the scene indicated that the tank’s operators had been captured and taken to Gaza. Another video showed an Israeli soldier riding pillion on a motorbike, escorted by two Palestinians en route to Gaza.
In Gaza, the roar of rocket launches was deafening, while residents reported armed clashes near the separation fence with Israel. Israel’s ambulance service dispatched teams to southern Israel near Gaza, and residents were advised to remain indoors.
Palestinians in Gaza expressed astonishment at their fighters’ successful infiltration into the Israeli-occupied territories, with one shopkeeper likening it to a dream.
Senior Hamas military commander Mohammad Deif declared that this was the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on earth. Palestinian resistance fighters targeted various Israeli facilities, including airports and military installations.
The surprise nature of this attack left Israel in shock, reminiscent of the surprise attack by Syria and Egypt during the 1973 war, which marked its 50th anniversary just a day earlier.
Minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rushed to Tel Aviv for consultations with security chiefs. The military declared a state of war readiness and authorized a widespread call-up of reserves. An emergency situation was declared within an 80-kilometer range from the Gaza Strip, encompassing major cities like Tel Aviv and Beersheba.
The Israeli military also confirmed conducting at least two airstrikes on the Gaza Strip during this intense period of conflict.
Amidst this escalation, tragic incidents occurred, including the killing of a Palestinian journalist covering events in the central Gaza Strip and the loss of a Palestinian hospital worker in an Israeli shelling of a hospital in Beit Lahyia, north of the Gaza Strip.
This operation also followed Israeli forces’ attacks on Palestinians attending a funeral procession in the West Bank, resulting in over 50 injuries. The procession was mourning the loss of a young Palestinian man who had succumbed to injuries sustained in a previous Israeli settler raid.
As the situation unfolds, both sides are bracing for further developments in this alarming escalation of violence.
