The Israeli PM foresees a “long and difficult war” as Israel fights Hamas
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a “long and difficult” campaign ahead against the Palestinian militant group as Israeli forces engaged in combat with lone Hamas fighters and bombarded targets in the Gaza Strip on Sunday.
Tens of thousands of soldiers, according to the army, were sent to battle militants in southern desert areas close to the coastal enclave, free Israeli hostages, and then evacuate the entire territory within 24 hours.
A day after hundreds of Hamas fighters entered Israel in cars, boats, and even paragliders, military spokesman Daniel Hagari declared, “We’ll reach every community until we kill every terrorist in Israel.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a “long and difficult” campaign ahead against the Palestinian militant group as Israeli forces engaged in combat with lone Hamas fighters and bombarded targets in the Gaza Strip on Sunday.
Tens of thousands of soldiers, according to the army, were sent to battle militants in southern desert areas close to the coastal enclave, free Israeli hostages, and then evacuate the entire territory within 24 hours.
A day after hundreds of Hamas fighters entered Israel in cars, boats, and even paragliders, military spokesman Daniel Hagari declared, “We’ll reach every community until we kill every terrorist in Israel.”
Unknown numbers of Israeli soldiers and civilians were taken as prisoners into Gaza, shocking Israel and significantly hindering its military response.
The Israeli news outlet Ynet reports that “dozens of Israeli captives, including numerous women, children, and elders, are believed to have been taken into the Gaza Strip.”
Hundreds of Hamas gunmen and Israeli troops continued to engage in gun fights throughout the day on Sunday, including outside a police station in Sderot where police and special forces “neutralised 10 armed terrorists,” according to police.
After the military disclosed the names of 26 fallen troops, another army spokesman, Richard Hecht, remarked that “a lot of people have been killed.” “We suffered the loss of soldiers, leaders, and several civilians.
He continued, saying that the army had hit 426 Hamas targets, including buildings, tunnels, and other infrastructure in Gaza. “We are completing efforts to retake full control of Israeli territory from Hamas,” he said.
“No relief”
The attack by Hamas, which Washington and Brussels consider a terrorist organization, has aroused concerns across the world as Western capitals have condemned it while Israel’s enemies, including Iran and Hezbollah, have welcomed it.
As catastrophic airstrikes proceeded, Netanyahu, who heads a hard-right government but has gotten support from political rivals during Israel’s national emergency, pledged to bring Hamas hideouts “to rubble” and urged Palestinians there to evacuate.
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Netanyahu posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying “We are beginning a long and difficult war that was forced on us by a murderous Hamas attack.”
He continued, promising no “relief” until victory, “The first stage is now ending with the destruction of the vast majority of the enemy forces that infiltrated our territory.”
On Saturday, Vice President Joe Biden of the United States expressed “rock solid and unwavering” support for Israel, the country’s most important friend in the area, and issued a warning “against any other party hostile to Israel seeking advantage in this situation.”
However, early on Sunday, Hezbollah, a group supported by Iran, entered the conflict from the north.
It claimed that it had “in solidarity” with Hamas fired “large numbers of artillery shells and guided missiles” at locations in disputed border regions.
“The Zionist enemy’s three positions in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa farms were attacked by the Islamic resistance (Hezbollah).” with lots of guided missiles and artillery munitions,” it stated in a statement.
After firing artillery on Lebanon earlier in response to a shot from the area, the Israeli army gathered tanks in the northern area.
Liberate our country
Hamas has dubbed its major assault “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” and urged “resistance fighters in the West Bank” in addition to those in “Arab and Islamic nations” to join the conflict.
Its attack, which happened 50 years after the start of the Arab-Israeli War in 1973, stunned Israel and set off a violent internal feud over what was widely regarded as a major intelligence gaffe.
Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, declared “victory” on Saturday and vowed to continue “the battle to liberate our land and our prisoners languishing in occupation prisons.”
Israel noted more than 3,000 incoming missiles, while Hamas claimed to have fired 5,000 rockets on Saturday. Several of them got past Tel Aviv’s Iron Dome missile defense system and crashed into nearby structures.
Hamas fighters broke through the Gaza barrier and entered Israel while the area was being bombarded with rockets.
In response, Israel dispatched forces to the troubled south, activated reserve personnel, and launched operation “Swords of Iron” against Gaza, with some commentators foreseeing a potential ground invasion of Gaza.
Several residential structures in Gaza have been reduced to rubble by Israeli bombings that the country claims were directed at Hamas infrastructure and came after evacuation alerts were issued.
After Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007, Israel imposed a crushing siege on the 2.3 million-person shantytown on the Mediterranean coast.
Since then, Israel and Hamas have fought multiple conflicts, with the most recent major armed confrontation ending in May with the deaths of 34 Palestinians and one Israeli.
The Hamas onslaught comes after months of escalating bloodshed, primarily in the occupied West Bank, tensions along Gaza’s border, and clashes at contentious Jerusalem holy sites.
According to Israeli and Palestinian officials, the violence this year has already claimed the lives of at least 247 Palestinians, 32 Israelis, and two foreigners, both combatants and bystanders.
At least seven Palestinians have been killed in skirmishes since Saturday in the West Bank, according to the Ramallah-based health ministry.
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