Israel and the Gaza Strip are at war. Since the launch of a surprise and spectacular Hamas offensive on the Jewish state on Saturday morning, the eruption of violence has left more than 300 dead and more than 1,500 injured on the Israeli side, according to the latest report from the authorities.
The armed group Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a rocket and artillery attack on Sunday morning, saying it was “in solidarity” with the Palestinian people. The group said in a statement that the attack targeted three posts, including a “radar site” in the Chebaa Farms, a plot of land occupied by Israel since 1967 and which Lebanon claims as its own.
In response, Israeli artillery struck southern Lebanon on Sunday, claiming to respond to fire coming from this area, the Israeli army said in a statement published shortly before 7:30 a.m. “Israeli artillery is striking the area of Lebanon from which a shot came,” the statement said.
During the night from Saturday to Sunday, ground fighting between Israeli soldiers and “hundreds” of infiltrated fighters continued in “22 locations,” according to an Israeli army spokesperson. The IDF indicated Sunday morning that there remain eight locations in the south of the country where terrorists are still present.
Among these localities, it is on Kibbutz Be’eri that the fighting is the most intense. An unknown number of infiltrators were captured or killed by security forces, Israeli media reports. Others returned to Gaza with hostages, including women, children and the elderly, according to local accounts.
Hamas infiltrators captured several Israelis on Saturday, the number of which remains unclear. The army spokesperson simply mentioned a “serious situation involving hostages” within a 20 km radius east of the Gaza Strip. According to the Times of Israel media, hostages in kibbutz Beeri and Ofakim were freed by security forces overnight, and a police station in Sderot invaded by terrorists was also freed. Ten terrorists were killed in this operation, Israeli authorities said.
Shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday (10 p.m. GMT Saturday), the Israeli army struck several buildings in Gaza as rocket fire continued from the territory. The army claims that these were Hamas “command centers”. The Hamas health ministry said Sunday that 256 Palestinians have been killed and 1,788 injured in the Gaza Strip in recent hours, most of them killed in Israeli retaliatory strikes.
“What happened today is unprecedented in Israel,” admitted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, promising that the army would use “all its power” to “destroy the capabilities” of Hamas. “It (is) indeed a war (…) and we will win it,” he also declared about this deadliest escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in decades. “All these places where Hamas hides (…) we are going to turn them into ruins.” “We are on the verge of winning a great victory,” said Ismaïl Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas.
The conflict caused significant disruptions at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, and many airlines canceled flights to Tel Aviv this weekend. Schools will remain closed on Sunday, the start of the week in Israel.