Palestinian Fighters Cross Into Israel, Take Soldiers Captive

Palestinians take control of an Israeli tank after crossing the border fence with Israel from Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023. AFP London- In an unprecedented development Palestinian resistance factions, led by Hamas, launched a massive offensive against Israel in the wee hours of Saturday taking the right wing government in the Jewish state by surprise. The offensive code named “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” began at dawn Saturday with a barrage of rockets falling into central and southern Israel followed by Palestinian fighters crossing over into the occupied territories from land, sea, and air. Videos purportedly showed Palestinian fighters inside an Israeli military base as bodies of dead soldiers lay on the ground. Israel’s N12 News quoting ambulance services reported at least 22 Israelis dead and some 500 wounded. The report said over 30 Israeli soldiers have been taken hostage. Israel said the Iran-backed group had declared war as its army confirmed fighting with militants in several Israeli towns and military bases near Gaza and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate. Reports said armed fighters breached the military border and blasted their way into Israel in SUVs, motorcycles and paragliders. The attack marked an unprecedented infiltration by an unknown number of Palestinian fighters into Israel from Gaza, and one of the most serious escalations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 1948. Israeli broadcaster Reshet 13 TV News said fighters were holding Israelis hostage in the town of Ofakim, and that five Palestinian militants had been killed in the town of Sderot and homes had been set on fire. Israeli media reported gunbattles between bands of Palestinian fighters and security forces in towns in southern Israel. Israel’s police chief said there were “21 active scenes” in southern Israel, indicating the extent of the attack. Red alert warning sirens were activated in Tel Aviv, Sde Boker, Arad, and Dimona in the south as explosions were heard by residents on Saturday. In Jerusalem, rocket sirens sounded followed by the sound of explosions. Cars were seen on fire after a rocket landed in Ashkelon, southern Israel. Hamas military commander Mohammad Deif announced the start of the operation in a broadcast, calling on Palestinians everywhere to fight. “This is the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on earth,” he said, adding that 5,000 rockets had been launched. Hamas’ armed wing said more than 7,000 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Saturday, declaring it had started “Operation al-Aqsa Storm”. “We decided to put an end to all the crimes of the occupation, their time for rampaging without being held accountable is over,” Hamas said. Al-Quds Brigades military wing of Islamic Jihad, another major Palestinian faction also declared that its fighters have joined the operation as Hamas called on Palestinians everywhere to fight. “We are part of this battle, our fighters are side-by-side with their brothers in the Qassam Brigades until victory is achieved,” said Islamic Jihad armed wing spokesman Abu Hamza on a post on Telegram. “This storm which started from Gaza will spread to the West Bank and outside the country and all the places where our people and nation are present,” Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh said. Haniyeh called the operation historic and epic, saying the main reason for its start was the “criminal aggression of the Zionists in al-Aqsa Mosque, which had reached its peak in recent days”. The escalation comes against a backdrop of surging violence between Israel and Palestinians in the West Bank, which together with the Gaza Strip is part of the territories where Palestinians have long sought to establish a state. It also comes at a time of political upheaval in Israel, which has been riven by deep divisions over moves to overhaul the judiciary, and as Washington works to strike a deal that would normalise ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia. In Lebanon Hezbollah declared its support for the resistance and warned Israel of consequences if it escalated the conflict. Hezbollah said the operation was a “decisive response to Israel’s continued occupation and a message to those seeking normalisation with Israel”. REPORTS OF ISRAELIS TAKEN CAPTIVE Palestinian media displayed videos of what it said were bodies of Israeli soldiers brought into Gaza by fighters, and Palestinian gunmen inside Israeli homes and touring an Israeli town in jeeps reportedly driven into Israel by the fighters. Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank expressed disbelief at the infiltration into Israel. “It is like a dream. I still can’t believe it,” said one Gaza shopkeeper. The attack came a day after Israel marked the 50th anniversary of the 1973 war that brought the country to the verge of catastrophic defeat in a surprise attack by Syria and Egypt. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh described the ongoing battle as one of “honor, resistance, and dignity to defend Al-Aqsa [Mosque].” “The enemy besieging Gaza has planned to surprise it and escalate the aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip, in addition to the settlement and aggression that continues every moment in the West Bank, which seeks to uproot our people and expel them from their land, and the crimes of the occupation against our people in the 1948s, as it stands behind all the killing and assassination operations there, and the occupation’s continuation of detaining our prisoners for decades, and reneging on agreements when he re-arrested those liberated from the swap deal,” Haniyeh said. “This flood began in Gaza and will extend to the West Bank and abroad, and every place where our people and nation are present,” he stressed, adding,” Today, the wrath of our nation and righteous fighters is boiling over. This is your day to make the enemy understand that its time has come to an end.” The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) says its fighters joined the operation as Hamas urged other resistance factions, including Hezbollah, to join the fight. “We are part of this battle; our fighters are side-by-side with their brothers in the Al-Qassam Brigades until victory is achieved,” PIJ spokesman Abu Hamza said in a post on Telegram. For its part, Hezbollah issued a statement congratulating the Gaza resistance for the “heroic operation,” calling it “a decisive response to the continuing crimes of the occupation … and a [clear reminder] that the will of the Palestinian people and the rifle of resistance are the only options in the face of aggression and occupation and a message to the Arab and Islamic world and the entire international community, especially those seeking normalization.” In retaliation for the surprise attack, the Israeli air force has begun raids on “Hamas targets” in the besieged Gaza Strip, with residents saying they “do not know what to expect.” “We don’t have bomb shelters to go to. In previous attacks, people would just run out of their homes to other relatives’ homes, thinking it would be safe. Every place is liable to an attack,” Gaza resident Rana Shubair told Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, in the Israeli settlements near Gaza, settlers have communicated with media outlets saying many have barricaded themselves inside their homes and are begging Tel Aviv to “send troops.” “There are wounded here … There are burning houses,” a resident of the illegal Kibbutz Beeri settlement told Israel Channel 12 news, adding that the feeling among settlers is that the have been “abandoned.” “Hamas made a grave mistake this morning and started a war against the State of Israel. [Army] soldiers are fighting the enemy at all the infiltration sites,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said earlier on Saturday in remarks provided by his office. “The State of Israel will win this war,” he added. The US embassy in Israel says it is “closely monitoring” the security situation. “US citizens are reminded to remain vigilant and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness as security incidents, including mortar and rocket fire, often take place without warning,” an embassy statement reads.