Hezbollah and Israel exchange fire as Israeli soldiers battle Hamas the day after a surprise attack

JERUSALEM – Israeli soldiers battled Hamas opponents in the streets of Israel’s south on Sunday and exchanged moves with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant staff in the north, whilst Israel’s retaliation moves leveled structures in Gaza. The prospect of Hezbollah becoming a member of the combating a day after an unprecedented surprise attack from Gaza raised the possibilities of a broader battle.

Hamas opponents, subsidized by way of a volley of 1000’s of rockets, broke thru barricades round Gaza early Saturday to rampage thru close by communities in Israel. They took captives again into the coastal enclave, together with girls, kids and the aged, whilst Israel’s retaliation moves leveled structures in Gaza and its high minister mentioned the nation was once at conflict. Israeli media, bringing up rescue carrier officers, mentioned a minimum of 300 folks have been killed, together with 26 soldiers.

At least 250 folks have been killed in Gaza and civilians paid a staggering price for the violence on all sides. Israeli TV news aired a circulate of accounts from the relations of captive or lacking Israelis, who wailed and begged for help amid a fog of uncertainty surrounding the destiny in their family members. In Gaza, citizens fled properties close to the border to flee Israeli moves, fleeing deeper inside of the territory after warnings in Arabic from the Israeli army.

Previous conflicts between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers introduced standard destruction in Gaza and days of rocket fire on Israeli cities. The scenario is probably extra unstable now, with Israel’s far-right executive stung by way of the safety breach and Palestinians in depression over a unending career in the West Bank and suffocating blockade of Gaza.

The flare-up on Israel’s northern border additionally threatened to attract into the battle Hezbollah, a fierce enemy of Israel’s which is subsidized by way of Iran and estimated to have tens of 1000’s of rockets at its disposal. Hezbollah struck Israeli positions in a disputed space alongside the border with Syria’s Golan Heights, and Israel’s army spoke back with armed drone moves on Hezbollah goals in a disputed space the place the borders of Israel, Lebanon and Syria meet.

In an assault of startling breadth, Hamas gunmen used explosives to wreck thru the border fence enclosing Gaza, then crossed with bikes, pickup vehicles, paragliders and velocity boats on the coast. They rolled into as many as 22 places out of doors the Gaza Strip early Saturday morning, together with cities and different communities as a long way as 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the Gaza border, whilst Hamas introduced 1000’s of rockets at Israeli towns.

“Israel is waking up this morning to a terrible morning,” mentioned Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, an Israeli army spokesman. “There are a lot of people killed… children, grandmothers, families, bodies.”

On Sunday, the Israeli army mentioned its forces have been combating Hamas incursions in 8 puts. An Israeli army spokesperson mentioned that two hostage eventualities have been “resolved,” however didn’t say whether or not all the hostages have been rescued alive.

Israel struck 426 goals in Gaza, its army mentioned, pulling down residential structures in massive explosions. That integrated a 14-story tower that held dozens of residences as neatly as Hamas places of work in central Gaza City. Israeli forces fired a caution simply earlier than.

Among the 256 killed in Gaza have been 20 kids, and on the subject of 1,800 wounded, the Palestinian Health Ministry mentioned. UNRWA, the United Nations company for Palestinians, mentioned greater than 20,000 Palestinians left Gaza’s border area to go additional inside of the territory and take safe haven in U.N. colleges.

Israeli media mentioned a minimum of 300 folks have been killed and 1,500 wounded in Saturday’s attack, making it the deadliest in Israel in a long time. Hamas opponents took an unknown choice of civilians and soldiers captive into Gaza and a line of Israelis with lacking relations snaked out of doors a police station in central Israel to offer investigators with DNA samples and different signifies that may just assist establish their members of the family.

Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets and shells on Sunday at 3 Israeli positions in the disputed space and Israel’s army fired again the use of armed drones at the Lebanese spaces.

Israel and Hezbollah are archenemies and have fought a number of wars in the previous, the most up-to-date a 34-day battle in 2006 that left 1,200 lifeless in Lebanon and 160 in Israeli. Tensions have been simmering alongside Israel’s northern border for months.

In a televised deal with Saturday night time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned the army will use all of its power to damage Hamas’ functions. “All the places that Hamas hides in, operates from, we will turn them into ruins,” he added.

“Get out of there now,” he advised Gaza citizens, who don’t have any option to depart the tiny, overcrowded Mediterranean territory. Gaza’s 2.3 million folks have continued a border blockade, enforced to various levels by way of Israel and Egypt, since Hamas militants seized keep an eye on in 2007.

In Gaza, a lot of the inhabitants was once thrown into darkness Saturday night time as Israel bring to an end electrical energy. Netanyahu’s workplace mentioned in a commentary that Israel would forestall supplying electrical energy, gasoline and items to Gaza.

Before crack of dawn Sunday, militants fired extra rockets from Gaza, hitting a clinic in the Israeli coastal the city of Ashkelon, mentioned senior clinic respectable Tal Bergman. Video equipped by way of Barzilai Medical Center confirmed a huge hollow punched into a wall and chunks of particles scattered on the floor of what seemed to be an empty room and a hallway. The army mentioned sufferers have been evacuated from Barzilai earlier than the strike.

School was once canceled throughout Israel.

The shadowy chief of Hamas’ army wing, Mohammed Deif, mentioned the attack was once in accordance with the 16-year blockade of Gaza, and a sequence of new incidents that experience introduced Israeli-Palestinian tensions to a fever pitch.

Over the previous 12 months, Israel’s far-right executive has ramped up settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, Israeli settler violence has displaced loads of Palestinians there, and tensions have flared round the Al-Aqsa mosque, a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site.

Deif, who does now not seem in public, mentioned in a recorded message that the attack was once best the get started of what he known as “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm,” and known as on Palestinians from east Jerusalem to northern Israel to enroll in the combat.

Asked by way of newshounds how Hamas had controlled to catch the military off guard, Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, an Israeli military spokesman, answered, “That’s a good question.”

The Hamas incursion on Simchat Torah, a in most cases joyous day when Jews entire the annual cycle of studying the Torah scroll, revived painful recollections of the 1973 Mideast war, by which Egypt and Syria introduced a surprise attack on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, aiming to take again Israeli-occupied territories.

The comparability sharpened grievance of Netanyahu and his far-right allies, who had campaigned on extra competitive motion in opposition to threats from Gaza. Political commentators lambasted the executive and army over its failure to look forward to what seemed to be a Hamas attack unheard of in its degree of making plans and coordination.

The abduction of Israeli civilians and soldiers additionally raised a specifically thorny factor for Israel, which has a historical past of creating closely lopsided exchanges to deliver captive Israelis house. Israel is retaining 1000’s of Palestinians in its prisons. Hecht showed that a “substantial” choice of Israelis have been kidnapped Saturday.

A significant query now was once whether or not Israel will release a floor attack into Gaza, a transfer that during the previous has introduced intensified casualties. Netanyahu vowed that Hamas “will pay an unprecedented price.” But, he warned, “This war will take time. It will be difficult.”

Israel’s army was once bringing 4 divisions of troops as neatly as tanks to the Gaza border, becoming a member of 31 battalions already in the space, a spokesperson mentioned.

Hamas mentioned it had deliberate for a probably lengthy combat. “We are prepared for all options, including all-out war,” the deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, Saleh al-Arouri, advised Al-Jazeera TV. “We are ready to do whatever is necessary for the dignity and freedom of our people.”

U.S. President Joe Biden mentioned from the White House that he had spoken with Netanyahu to mention the United States “stands with the folks of Israel in the face of those terrorist attacks. Israel has the correct to shield itself and its folks, complete forestall.”

The attack comes at a time of historic division within Israel over Netanyahu’s proposal to overhaul the judiciary. Mass protests over the plan have sent hundreds of thousands of Israeli demonstrators into the streets and prompted hundreds of military reservists to avoid volunteer duty — turmoil that has raised fears over the military’s battlefield readiness.

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Shurafa reported from Gaza City. Associated Press writers Isabel DeBre, Julia Frankel and Josef Federman in Jerusalem; Issam Adwan in Rafah, Gaza Strip; and Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this record.