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The Palestinian Hamas group has infiltrated Israel and fired rockets from the Gaza strip.
According to latest media reports, 22 persons have been confirmed dead and 100 have been left injured, with many sustaining gunshot wounds.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that his nation is at war with “the enemy”.
“Citizens of Israel. We are at war, not an operation, not an escalation, a war,” he said.
“This morning Hamas launched a murderous surprise attack against the state of Israel and its citizens. We’ve been at it since early morning.
“I convened the heads of the security system, first of all I instructed to cleanse the settlements of the terrorists who had infiltrated — this operation is being carried out during these hours.
“At the same time, I ordered an extensive reserve mobilization and a retaliatory war with a strength and scope that the enemy had never known.
“The enemy will pay a price he has never known. In the meantime, I call on all citizens of Israel to strictly obey the instructions of the army and the instructions of the Home Command.
“We are in a war and we will win it.”
In a statement following the attack, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said it has declared “a state of alert for war”.
It said Hamas will face consequences for their attacks and ordered residents in areas around Gaza to remain indoors.
“Over the past hour, the Hamas terrorist organization launched massive barrages of rockets from Gaza into Israel, and its terrorist operatives have infiltrated into Israel in a number of different locations in the south,” the statement reads.
“Civilians in southern and central Israel must remain near shelters, and in the area surrounding the Gaza Strip, inside shelters.
“The Chief of the General staff is currently conducting a situational assessment and approving plans for the IDF’s continued activity.”
BORDERS CLOSED
The IDF has closed roads near the border and routes used by farmers have been cordoned off by the army.
In a rare statement, Mohammed Deif, Hamas military commander, said Hamas had fired more than 5,000 rockets into Israel in what he called “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm”.
He said the ongoing attacks are in retaliation for Israel’s “desecration” of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and said Israel has killed and wounded hundreds of Palestinians this year.
He also called on Palestinians inside Israel and Israel’s Arab neighbours to join the fight and “set the earth on fire under the feet of the occupiers”.
“Today, the people are bringing back the revolution and reviving the March of Return,” he said.
He also called on the Islamic resistance in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon to “merge their resistance with that of the Palestinians today and start marching towards Palestine now”.
Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem in 1967.
Hamas and Israel have fought four wars since 2007 when the extremist group seized Gaza, with Israel and Egypt commencing a land and sea blockade of the coastal enclave.
