Image Credit: Ahmed Zakot/Reuters
The Palestinian armed group Hamas has launched the largest attack on Israel in years, infiltrating areas in the south of the country following a barrage of more than 2,000 rockets fired from the Gaza Strip that killed at least 22 Israelis and wounded hundreds, local media reported, citing medical workers.
Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned Hamas that it had made a “grave mistake” in launching the attack, which began at 06:30am local time (03:30 GMT) on Saturday and involved barrages of rockets fired from multiple locations in Gaza as well as fighters infiltrating the Israeli border by land, sea and air.
“Citizens of Israel, we are at war,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message from military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Mohammed Deif, a senior Hamas military commander, said earlier that the rocket fire marked the start of “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood”, and he called on Palestinians everywhere to fight the Israeli occupation.
“We’ve decided to say enough is enough,” Deif said as he urged all Palestinians to confront Israel. “This is the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on Earth,” he said in an audio message.
Palestinian fighters have infiltrated areas of southern Israel as a barrage of rockets launched from the Gaza Strip killed at least one woman and injured 15 others, according to Israeli medical workers.
The rocket fire began from multiple locations in Gaza starting at 06:30 am local time (03:30 GMT) on Saturday and continued for nearly half an hour, the Agence France-Presse news agency reported.
Mohammad Deif, a senior Hamas military commander, announced the start of a military operation in a broadcast on Hamas media, calling on Palestinians everywhere to fight.
Deif said the rockets fired marked the start of “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm”, according to reports. “We’ve decided to say enough is enough,” Deif said as he urged all Palestinians to confront Israel.
“This is the day of the greatest battle [to] end the last occupation,” he said, adding that 5,000 rockets had been launched.
Israel’s military told Israelis living around the Gaza Strip to stay in their homes and warned that Hamas “will pay heavy price for its actions”.
Israeli media reported that armed fighters had opened fire on passersby in the town of Sderot, in southern Israel, and footage circulating on social media appeared to show clashes in city streets.
Videos posted on social media showed what appeared to be uniformed Palestinian fighters inside the Israeli border town of Sderot. Another video appeared to a crowd of Palestinian men dancing around and on top of a burning Israeli tank. The authenticity of the videos could not immediately be verified.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to meet with his top security officials on Saturday morning.
Al Jazeera’s Rob Reynolds, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, said the “element of surprise” in the early morning attack which appeared to involve Palestinian fighters in trucks inside Israel and on paragliders, in addition to the rocket fire, will leave Israelis “shocked and stunned”.