Israel launched Operation Iron Sword against Hamas on 7 October after the Palestinian Islamist terror group launched a massive multi-front attack on Israel. The attack by the Palestinian terrorist group Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement), popularly known by its acronym Hamas, has left more than 600 people dead and over 2000 injured in the Jewish nation in one of the deadliest terror attacks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised “mighty vengeance for this wicked day” as Israeli air raids pounded Gaza over the course of the night and killed more than 400 Palestinian terrorists as well as destroyed structures, tunnels and the homes of senior Hamas figures in operation ‘Iron Swords’. The crisis could potentially escalate as Israel attacked a Hezbollah militia target in southern Lebanon.
An Israeli military official said that “hundreds of terrorists” had been killed and dozens captured in the Israeli military operations. Earlier Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said that at least 313 people have been killed and nearly 2,000 wounded in Israeli attacks.
Both sides reported that 24 hours after their offensive in the early hours of 7 October, Hamas insurgents continued to engage Israeli security forces in a number of places in southern Israel as more rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip which set off air raid sirens. A military spokesman stated, “We’re going to be attacking Hamas severely and this is going to be a long, long haul.”
Jets started bombing Gaza again on the morning of 8 October while forces were clearing the area around the blockaded territory including a military base that was overrun on the previous day in the Zikim region.
Israeli artillery also reacted to mortar fire from Lebanon on the other side while drone attacks damaged a Hezbollah terrorist base along the country’s northern border, possibly signalling the start of greater hostilities. “We recommend Hezbollah not to come into this and I don’t think they will,” advised Israel’s army spokesperson.
Israeli Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters the situation at the northern border was calm after the exchange with Hezbollah. But he said fighting with Hamas was still underway in the south and that there were still hostage situations there. Hagari added that “Hundreds” of Hamas militants have been killed and dozens captured by the Israeli forces.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to exact an “unprecedented price” as a startled Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes in Gaza. The gunmen invaded up to 22 areas outside of the Gaza Strip in a shockingly comprehensive attack which encompassed towns and other settlements up to 15 miles (24 km) from the Gaza border. Most of the Hamas terrorists drove through the border, seemingly facing no opposition in what is otherwise one of the most heavily guarded borders, and opened fire on civilians and defence forces. Some terrorists also infiltrated Israel through sea, and at least some took the aerial route using motorised gliders. As Israel’s military struggled to mobilise a response, the assailants shot and killed civilians and troops in several locations.
Gunbattle continued well after nightfall and the infiltrators held hostages in standoffs in two different locations. Israeli forces struggled till the next morning to eventually reclaim the building after the jihadists took control of a police station in a third town. A hospital in the Israeli coastal town of Ashkelon was targeted by rocket fire before dawn on 8 October. Tal Bergman, a senior hospital official disclosed that the hospital had been damaged.
On 8 October, an Israeli military spokesman confirmed that operations were ongoing in eight regions encircling Gaza while the Palestinian Red Crescent alleged that 18 people had died as a result of Israeli airstrikes on two homes in the Beit Hanoun neighbourhood of Gaza. According to Palestinian health officials, 20 children were among the 313 deceased and claimed that around 2,000 individuals had been injured.
Hezbollah released a statement that it had attacked three sites in the north with rockets and artillery including a “radar site” in the Shebaa Farms, a region of land that Lebanon contends has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Israel responded with artillery fire on southern Lebanon, however, no casualties were reported.
According to Palestinian health officials, 20 children were among the 313 deceased. They claimed that around 2,000 individuals had been hurt. The uptick in violence between Israel and the terrorists in the West Bank where a Palestinian authority exercises limited self-rule and is opposed by Hamas which wants to destroy Israel provides the backdrop for the intensification.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh threatened that the attack that started in Gaza would move to the West Bank and Jerusalem and that Israel has been enforcing a blockade on Gaza for 16 years. “How many times have we warned you that the Palestinian people have been living in refugee camps for 75 years, and you refuse to recognise the rights of our people?”
Following the attack bodies of Israeli residents covered in shattered glass were left sprawled over the streets of Sderot, a city in southern Israel close to Gaza. A man and a woman’s corpses were strewn across the front seats of an automobile. Israelis who were terrified and holed up in safe rooms narrated their predicament on live television over the phone. Senior military officers were among those killed in battle close to Gaza, per the Israeli military.
According to Netanyahu’s office, his security cabinet has approved measures to “for many years” cut off Gaza’s access to electricity, fuel and merchandise along with other measures aimed at weakening Hamas and Islamic Jihad’s military and political capacities. Black smoke, orange lights and sparks from explosions lit up the sky over Gaza and Israeli drones could be heard in the sky.
The catastrophic Palestinian terror attack on Israel by land, sea and air which resulted in an unparalleled number of fatalities and hundreds of injuries has drawn condemnation from nations throughout the world. Leaders from throughout the world, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden have expressed their solidarity and support to Israel.
PM Modi posted, “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.”
The Indian embassy in Tel Aviv issued an important advisory for all Indian nationals present in Israel and requested them to “remain vigilant and observe safety protocols as prescribed by local authorities.” Air India has cancelled all flights to and from Tel Aviv till 14 October.
Hamas Attacks Israel
Backed by a barrage of rockets, Hamas terrorists stormed from the blockaded Gaza Strip into surrounding Israeli communities at the crack of dawn on 7 October which ended in the deaths of dozens of citizens and the abduction of others in an unprecedented and deadly surprise assault during the major Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret. The hostages were taken to Gaza.
Hamas boasted that its members had fired more than 5,000 missiles at Israel marking the commencement of “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.” The group conveyed its intention to halt what it termed to as Israel’s unaccountable actions and stated, “We declare Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and within the initial 20-minute strike, we fired more than 5,000 rockets.” Firing so many rockets in such a short period overwhelmed the Iron Dome air defence system of Israel, as it can intercept only a limited number of missiles at a time.
The unexpected Hamas onslaught was the largest invasion into Israel and its bloodiest day since Egypt and Syria launched a sudden attack in an effort to seize the lost territory in the Yom Kippur War fifty years ago.
The confrontation might jeopardise the attempts of the United States to mediate a normalisation of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia and endanger Palestinian statehood aspirations and the goals of Iran which is the the primary financial backer of Hamas. Several Muslim nations including Iran and Qutar have supported Hamas and blamed Israel for the attacks, while other Arab nations called for restraints from both sides, choosing to stay silent on the extensive attack on civilians by Hamas terrorists.
