The Hamas terrorist organization has taken Israelis captive in Gaza, the IDF has confirmed hours after a barrage of rockets slammed into southern and central Israel Saturday.The hostages situation is especially terrible, and while the military is now cordoning off Gaza, how do we know they'll conduct the operation correctly? That's what the current anti-terror campaign is called, and here's more:
Hamas terrorists infiltrated the country and took over Southern Israeli towns, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel is at war.
"Since this morning, the State of Israel is at war," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, shortly after the IDF declared "Operation Swords of Iron."
At least 100 people were announced dead by early evening and more than 900 wounded by Magen David Adom and the Health Ministry. The number of people captured has not yet been confirmed.
Among them, Ofir Liebstein, head of the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council, was killed in an exchange of fire with terrorists. Liebstein was killed as he defended his settlement during an attack. Deputy head of the council, Yossi Keren, is currently filling his place.
A second Israeli - a woman in her 60s - was killed when a rocket hit her building in the Gederot Regional Council.
The names and identities of the other victims had not yet been released, but the IDF said the numbers included several soldiers.
Upwards of 2,000 rockets were fired, the IDF said. Sirens sounded multiple times in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and southern Israel.
Shelters were opened across the country.
A direct hit was reported on a building in Ashkelon. Dozens of vehicles also caught fire in the city. Many parts of Ashkelon and the surrounding were without electricity.
In Ramla, four civilians who were trapped under a damaged building were rescued by the Israel Fire and Rescue personnel.
The IDF launched a massive counteroffensive on Saturday, hours after an early morning onslaught by the terrorist group Hamas from Gaza, which included 2000 rockets fired on Israel and multiple areas where terrorists raided and took over Israeli towns. The name of the Israeli offensive, which saw multiple air strikes in the Gaza Strip and a call-up of thousands of reserve troops for potential ground operations, was given the codename "Swords of Iron."According to this, video footage emerged of Israeli hostages in the Gaza enclave. We've definitely got a horrible situation on our hands now.
There were unconfirmed reports on some 30 Israelis captured, with Israel confirming that the mayor of the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council was killed in a gunbattle in one of the raids. Some four Israelis were killed in the southern town of Rahat due to rocket fire.
Update: here's more on the hostage situation.
Update 2: European leaders condemn the jihadist attack.
Update 3: Donald Trump's addressed the situation, and correctly observes:
Former President Donald Trump called the Islamic Hamas terrorists’ ongoing assault on Israel a “disgrace” and criticized President Joe Biden’s administration in a statement Saturday.This is also correct. Biden's bunch has done only so much damage to the world in such a short amount of time.
“These Hamas attacks are a disgrace, and Israel has every right to defend itself with overwhelming force,” Trump said, according to the Times of Israel and an emailed statement from the former president.
“Sadly, American taxpayer dollars helped fund these attacks, which many reports are saying came from the Biden Administration,” he added, as the Times said he was apparently blaming the U.S. government’s policy on Iran for the assault.
“We brought so much peace to the Middle East through the Abraham Accords, only to see Biden whittle it away at a far more rapid pace than anyone thought possible. Here we go again,” Trump concluded.
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