A large-scale, surprise attack with more than 5,000 rockets and several ground blitzes. Hamas launches the ‘Storm-Al Asqa’ operation against Israel and the number of victims is high. The number of Israeli deaths exceeds 250, while the injured number more than a thousand. In addition, Hamas claims to have “around 50 hostages” who would have been transported to the Gaza Strip. This is news also confirmed by the Israeli military, which however does not specify the number of people in Palestinian hands. “Citizens of Israel, we are at war”, declared the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to the population, guaranteeing that “the enemy will pay a price that he does not yet know”. The Prime Minister calls up the reservists and the reaction is not long in coming. Israel cuts off electricity supplies to Gaza and launches a heavy attack on the Strip, where, according to Palestinian reports, around 200 people were killed and more than 1,600 injured, a situation not seen since the Yom Kippur war in 1973 .
At night, a new massive attack with 150 rockets arrives at Tel Aviv. “We are close to a great victory and a clear achievement on the Gaza front”, exults the head of Hamas’s political office, Ismail Haniyeh, while the organization’s number two Saleh al-Arour warns that “this is not a ‘coup’ . and execute the operation’. In fact, Hamas also says it is ready to face a possible “Israeli land invasion.” “We hope that the fighting will continue and expand”, he further states. On the other hand, the need for a “prolonged and powerful campaign” is the conscience also expressed by Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli Prime Minister talked about this with American President Joe Biden during the phone call in which he received full support from the United States.
Netanyahu, at the same time, also finds himself under pressure on the domestic front with opposition leader Yair Lapid calling for the formation of an “emergency government” to “manage the difficult and complex operation that awaits us”. , the Prime Minister “knows that with the current security cabinet he cannot manage a war. Israel needs to be guided by a professional, specialized and responsible government.” The tension in the country is palpable and the streets are largely deserted, the schools will remain closed tomorrow. For LaPresse Yonatan Yagodovsky, Director of International Relations at ‘Red Star of David’, the Israeli emergency medical service, “we are evacuating people from hospitals because they are at their limit.” Patients are transported to the area of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem also receive an invitation to donate blood “because we desperately need it.” The situation remains incandescent.
Source: IL Tempo

John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.