Israel says it is ‘at war’ as Hamas launches unprecedented attack

CAIRO – 7 October 2023: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel “is at war” after Hamas launched a surprise unprecedented attack on the country on Saturday.

Netanyahu vowed to exact an “unprecedented price” from the Palestinian group, according to The Times of Israel.

“Citizens of Israel, we are at war, not an operation, not a round [of fighting,] at war,” Netanyahu said in his filmed statement in Hebrew.

The statement, which appears to have been filmed at the Israel Defense Forces headquarters in Tel Aviv was, posted at around 11 a.m., several hours into the fighting.

The fighting erupted after Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel and armed men crossed the border with the Gaza Strip and invaded multiple Israeli towns.

At least 22 Israelis were confirmed killed and hundreds wounded.

Additional casualties were reported from the Gaza border communities where gun battles still raged between the Israeli forces and Palestinians who were seen roaming freely in several places. 

On Saturday morning, Hamas said it fired more than 5,000 rockets from Gaza on cities across central and southern Israel, reaching as far as Jerusalem, while Palestinians infirtlated communities in the country's south by land, sea and air.

More than 250 Israelis were reportedly wounded. Israeli police estimate that there are dozens of Palestinians in 14 locations throughout the country.

In at least two towns, Israeli civilians were also held captive in their homes, which prompted outcry from a number of US agencies and officials.