Israel military announces large-scale mobilisation of reserve forces after declaration of ‘war’ with Hamas
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As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas following an unprecedented rocket strike and infiltration by the Palestine-based group, the military’s Chief of Staff has announced a large-scale mobilisation of reserve forces.
Many Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) personnel, including special units, have been deployed to the area surrounding Gaza and are fighting in different centres to protect the residents of the south. Dozens of Air Force fighter jets have also attacked targets of the Hamas group in the Gaza Strip.
The IDF has launched operation ‘Iron Swords’ in response to Hamas’s surprise attack – by air, land and sea – comprising a barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip and infiltration into its heavily fortified border in the southern area that caught the country off-guard.
There are at least seven sites where Israeli troops were battling the infiltrators, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters. At least 22 people have been confirmed killed by the Israeli rescue service, including the head of the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council Ofir Liebstein, along with 250 wounded in southern and central Israel this morning, as Palestinian militants entered Israel from Gaza.
Netanyahu declares war on Hamas
In his first public statement since the escalation of hostilities, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the nation is “at war” and will extract an unprecedented price from its enemy.
“We are at war, not in an operation or in rounds, but at war. This morning, Hamas launched a murderous surprise attack against the State of Israel and its citizens. We have been in this since the early morning hours,” Netanyahu said in a televised address.
Videos of Hamas fighters parading what appeared to be stolen Israeli military vehicles through the streets and at least one dead Israeli soldier within Gaza being dragged and trampled by an angry crowd of Palestinians shouting “God is Great” surfaced on social media.
In a high-level meeting, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday said that Palestinians have the right to defend themselves against the “terror of settlers and occupation troops”. He directed officials “to provide protection for the Palestinian people and provide all that is necessary to bolster the resilience and steadfastness of the Palestinian people in facing the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation and settler gangs”
There are also unconfirmed reports of people being taken hostage and kidnapping of soldiers, including Israel commander Nimrod Aloni. The response of the international community has remained polarised – French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack against Israel and Saudi Arabia called for de-escalation of hostilities, while Iran supported the Hamas attack on Israel.
The rocket strike came after weeks of heightened tensions along Israel’s border with Gaza, and heavy fighting in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. In 2023, over 200 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank so far, while retaliatory attacks have claimed the lives of 30 Israeli people.
(with agency inputs)
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