Israeli citizens called for help on Saturday as Hamas launched some 2,500 rockets from Gaza through central and southern Israel, reaching as far as Jerusalem, while Palestinian terrorists infiltrated communities in the south of the country by land, sea and air.
More than 500 Israelis were reportedly injured and 40 killed.
Israeli police estimate there were 60 terrorists in 14 locations across the country.
In at least two cities, Israeli civilians were also held captive by terrorists in their homes, Haaretz reported Saturday.
Israelis living in the south are begging the army to send security forces, saying they are desperate for help.
“We are being massacred. There is no army. “It’s been 6 hours,” said an Israeli in a southern kibbutz. “People are begging for their lives.”
Tel Aviv residents hide in a stairwell as sirens are heard Saturday during the Hamas attack. Getty Images Palestinians take control of an Israeli tank after crossing the border fence with Israel from Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday. AFP via Getty Images
“My sister said militants entered her house,” a Tel Aviv resident named Gaia told Haaretz of her family, who lives in the southern kibbutz of Nir Oz. “I can’t get through to her.”
“She told me that she, my brother and my father were hiding in the shelter,” Gaia added. “She said that [militants] “I came out after a few minutes, but I haven’t been able to contact my family since.”
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Gaia reported that her brother had sent her a text message telling her that there were many casualties at the kibbutz but that the police and Israeli army forces were nowhere to be seen.
A man runs for cover as fire ravages a house in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon. AFP via Getty Images Palestinian militants launch rockets towards Israel early Saturday morning.REUTERS
His comments echo growing criticism from Gaza-area residents that hours after the infiltrations occurred, there was no sign of Israeli security forces and they felt abandoned.
Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai said the Israel Defense Forces, along with special units, were managing “several war zones and all the additional forces that have been launched into the Gaza Strip.”
“We know of civilians barricaded in all kinds of places,” Shabtai added. “We call on everyone to remain behind closed doors, in the end we will reach everyone. We are moving from one scenario to another. “There are quite a few terrorists who have been killed in the different scenes.”
Israeli soldiers gather on the road after Palestinian militants infiltrated part of the Gaza Strip.AP Cars parked outside a residential building catch fire during a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip in Ashkelon.AFP via Getty Images
“Unfortunately, there are also victims of our forces and civilians who were nearby,” he continued. “I call on citizens to show moderation and patience and to lock themselves in their homes.”
A Palestinian journalist who managed to enter Israel during the attack said in a video that Hamas members have “infiltrated two of the most important kibbutzim” in southern Israel: Nir Oz and Nir Am.
He said they tried to kidnap Israeli civilians and soldiers in the Gaza Strip. He further claimed that the terrorists entered Gaza border communities after “walking for about an hour.”
A house is on fire in the Kfar Azza kibbutz that Palestinians stormed from the Gaza Strip on Saturday. AP Palestinians run for cover after an Israeli airstrike on the Erez crossing between Israel and the northern Gaza Strip. AFP via Getty Images
Residents of the southern Bedouin town of Rahat panicked because they appeared to be at one of the epicenters of rocket fire and terrorist infiltration, with almost no means of protection against attacks.
“There are maybe 10 shelters here in all of Rahat,” in an area of about 11.3 million acres, Mayor Ata Abu Mediam told The Marker, a Hebrew-language news outlet. “I asked for 50 protective shields in the previous round of rockets, they brought me two.” he added.
“After this round, I will not send the children back to school. Meanwhile, the settlement’s schools are open and those who do not have homes or shelter should stay in the schools,” the mayor added, stating that five Rahat residents were hit by gunfire while working on farms around the settlement. Gaza Strip.
Palestinian militants celebrate next to an Israeli tank at the border fence of the Gaza Strip.AP Palestinian militants travel in an Israeli military vehicle that was seized by armed men who infiltrated areas of southern Israel.REUTERS
“A woman who worked in agriculture was seriously injured in the neck. “I have no verification whether the weapons were fired by Gazans or security forces,” she added. A shooting attack was reported in the Albat neighborhood, resulting in an unspecified number of deaths and injuries.
Tens of thousands of Israeli army reserve troops were being mobilized.
The Israeli army is responding to the attacks by attacking Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn