![]() "This is the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on earth," Hamas military commander Mohammad Deif said, announcing the start of the operation in a broadcast on Hamas media and calling on Palestinians everywhere to fight. Hamas, which advocates Israel's destruction, said the attack was driven by what it said were Israel's escalated attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, Jerusalem and against Palestinians in Israeli prisons. He said Hamas had enough captives to make Israel free all Palestinians in its jails. Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri told Al Jazeera that the group was holding a large number of Israeli captives, including senior officials. Gunfire had subsided but regular explosions could still be heard. "It's not over because the (army) hasn’t said the kibbutz is clear of terrorists," Dani Rahamim told Reuters by telephone from a shelter where he was hiding in Nahal Oz, close to the Gaza fence. Long after nightfall, residents had not been given the all-clear to go home. The Hamas attack was praised by Iran and by Hezbollah, Iran's Lebanese allies. flags set on fire and marchers waving Palestinian flags in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. "Some (Arab states) unfortunately started imagining that Israel could be the gateway for America to defend their security."Īcross the Middle East, there were demonstrations in support of Hamas, with Israeli and U.S. "For those who want stability and peace in the region, the starting point must be to end the Israeli occupation," he said. Osama Hamdan, the leader of Hamas in Lebanon, told Reuters that Saturday's operation should make Arab states realize that accepting Israeli security demands would not bring peace. ![]() "This is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage. Western countries, led by the United States, denounced the attack.Īt the White House, President Joe Biden went on national television to say Israel had the right to defend itself and issued a blunt warning to Iran and other countries hostile to Israel. Israel cut the power, plunging the city into darkness. Streets were deserted apart from ambulances racing to the scenes of air strikes. The health ministry said 232 people had been killed and at least 1,700 wounded. Gaza's dead and wounded were carried into crumbling and overcrowded hospitals with severe shortages of medical supplies and equipment. ![]() Earlier, crowds of mourners had carried the bodies of militants through the streets, wrapped in green Hamas flags. In Gaza, black smoke, orange flashes and sparks lit the sky from explosions. The Israeli prime minister's office said the security cabinet had approved steps to destroy the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and Islamic Jihad "for many years", including cutting electricity and fuel supplies and the entry of goods into Gaza. In a briefing on social media, an Israeli army spokesperson said the situation was not fully under control. Israeli troops clashed with Hamas fighters throughout the night in some parts of southern Israel. Senior military officers were among those killed in fighting near Gaza, the Israeli military said. "Soldiers came and took us away to the bushes." ![]() ![]() "I couldn't move my legs," she told Reuters at the hospital. ![]()
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