'We're at war': Israel after attack by Hamas from Gaza; hundreds dead

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, October 7

Palestinian fighters launched an unprecedented, surprise military attack into Israel early on Saturday morning, killing at least 200 civilians and wounding 1,100 while retaliatory Israeli Air Force bombing killed over 230 Palestinians and injured more than 1,600.

Designated ‘Terror’ outfit by West

• Founded in 1987 during first Palestinian Intifada, Hamas is backed by Shi’ite Iran and shares Islamist ideology of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood
• Has run Gaza Strip since 2007, after a civil war with forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO)
• Refuses to recognise Israel, is opposed to Oslo peace accords between Israel and PLO; its armed wing al-Qassam Brigades has been targeting Israelis
• Part of an alliance with Iran, Syria & Lebanese oufit Hezbollah
• Designated terror outfit by Israel, US, EU, Canada, Egypt & Japan

The scale of the assault, which is still ongoing, is not fully clear. But Israelis seemed confident of controlling the situation. “By the end of today, there will be no more living terrorists left in Israel,” said Israeli army spokesman Richard Hecht even as Israeli special forces in sophisticated military gear were seen clearing the streets of Sderot under “Operation Swords of Iron”.

18K Indians in Israel

• India issued a travel advisory asking its 18,000 citizens in Israel to exercise caution
• An Indian in Israel was killed in 2021 during a rocket attack
• Air India cancels its flight from New Delhi to Tel Aviv

The green signal to pull out all stops came from the US, which backed Israel’s right to defend itself. However, more worryingly and humiliatingly for Israel, several soldiers, including a top commander, besides civilians, have been kidnapped by fighters of the Hamas Palestinian group. In 2011, Israel had to free over 1,000 Palestinians in exchange for their kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. Hardline Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a state of emergency, called up reservists and said his country was at war. Making the announcement from a secure military base hours after Israeli security agencies were caught napping as dozens of gunmen invaded Israeli towns at dawn on Saturday, Netanyahu vowed to exact an “unprecedented price” from the Hamas militant group.

Enemy will pay the price

Enemy will pay unprecedented price; Israel will return fire of a magnitude that the enemy has not known.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister

Israeli Defence Forces are engaging the Palestinian militants roaming around and in the “settlements” while more video grabs showed Israeli civilians with gunshots lying on the streets.

With you in hour of crisis: Modi

Deeply shocked by terrorist attacks. We stand in solidarity with Israel.

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

Video grabs also showed Palestinian fighters seizing Israeli tanks in Gaza and evicting their crew, while some of them were driving around motorcycles with captured Israeli soldiers riding pillion as trophy.