Jerusalem, Israel Oct 7 – The Israeli army has launched air strikes on the Gaza Strip in response to an intense barrage of rockets fired from the Palestinian territory by the armed wing of Hamas. The exchange of fire has escalated tensions in the region, with both sides vowing to defend their interests.
Israel’s Operation Iron Swords targeted multiple Hamas facilities within the Gaza Strip. The military action was initiated following statements from Israel’s defense minister, who characterized Hamas’s actions as an act of war that Israel was determined to win.
The Israeli army reported, “Dozens of Israeli fighter jets are currently attacking several targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip.”
On Saturday morning, Palestinian militants executed an unprecedented incursion into southern Israel, infiltrating the border and firing a significant number of rockets into the country. The rocket fire commenced early in the morning, before 6:30 am local time, and persisted into the early hours. Israeli authorities responded by sounding sirens in the south and center of the country, urging the population to seek shelter.
The armed wing of Hamas, which has held control over the Gaza Strip since 2007, announced the launch of “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” against Israel, firing over 5,000 rockets. Salah Arouri, an exiled Hamas leader, framed the operation as a response to perceived Israeli aggression. He stated that fighters were defending the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and advocating for the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Following a security cabinet meeting at the Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant asserted that Hamas had made a significant miscalculation by launching a barrage of rockets into southern and central Israel. He stated, “The state of Israel will win this war.”
The rocket attacks resulted in one casualty, a woman in her sixties, and injuries to 15 other people in southern Israel. The Israeli Magen David Adom, akin to the Red Cross, confirmed these figures.
Sirens were sounded twice in the morning, reaching as far as Jerusalem. A number of explosions were reported around 9:00 am local time. One rocket struck the town of Yavne, south of Tel Aviv, causing minor injuries to a man due to shrapnel.
Israel’s army has taken precautions, including road closures in the vicinity bordering the Gaza Strip.
The recent escalation follows weeks of heightened tensions along the volatile Israel-Gaza border and extensive fighting in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Despite these developments, Hamas, which has governed Gaza since 2007, largely remained uninvolved in the recent hostilities.
Israel has maintained a strict blockade on the Gaza Strip since Hamas took control, and it has been a source of ongoing tension. The two sides have engaged in four wars since Hamas’s rise to power.
Furthermore, Israel has fortified the Gaza border with an extensive underground fence equipped with advanced surveillance technology to prevent infiltrations.
Since the start of the year, violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has escalated, resulting in the loss of at least 247 Palestinian lives, 33 Israelis, one Ukrainian, and one Italian. The situation remains volatile, with both sides on high alert.
