Israelis appealed for help on Saturday as Hamas fired some 2,500 rockets from Gaza across central and southern Israel, reaching Jerusalem — while Palestinian terrorists infiltrated communities in the country’s south by land, sea and air.
More than 500 Israelis were reported injured and 40 killed.
Israeli police estimate there are 60 terrorists in 14 locations across the country.
In at least two cities, Israeli civilians were also held hostage by terrorists in their homes, Haaretz reported on Saturday.
Israelis living in the south pleaded with the army to send in security forces, saying they were desperate for help.
“We are being slaughtered. There is no army. It’s been 6 hours,” said an Israeli in the southern kibbutz. “People are begging for their lives.”
Residents of Tel Aviv hid on stairs as sirens sounded on Saturday during a Hamas attack.Getty Images Palestinians guard an Israeli tank after crossing the border fence with Israel from Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip Saturday. AFP via Getty Images
“My sister said militants entered her home,” a Tel Aviv resident named Gaia told Haaretz about her family, who live south of Kibbutz Nir Oz. “I can’t reach him.”
“He told me that he and my brother and father were hiding in a shelter,” Gaia added. “He said [militants] came out after a few minutes, but I haven’t been able to contact my family since then.”
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Gaia reported that her brother had sent her a message that there were many casualties in the kibbutz but that no Israeli police or army could be seen.
A man runs for cover as a fire breaks out in a house in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon. AFP via Getty Images Rockets were fired by Palestinian militants into Israel early Saturday.REUTERS
His comments echoed growing criticism from Gaza residents that hours after the infiltration, there was no sign of Israeli security forces and they felt abandoned.
Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai said that the Israel Defense Forces, together with special units, are managing “a number of war zones and all additional forces that have been launched towards the Gaza Strip.”
“We know of civilians being stopped in all kinds of places,” Shabtai added. “We are calling on everyone to be behind closed doors, we will get to everyone in the end. We move from one scene to another. There are several terrorists who have been killed in various scenes.”
Israeli soldiers gather on a road after Palestinian militants infiltrated parts of the Gaza Strip.AP A car parked outside a residential building caught fire during a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip in Ashkelon.AFP via Getty Images
“Unfortunately, there were also casualties from our soldiers and civilians who were nearby,” he continued. “I call on people to show restraint and patience and lock themselves in their homes.”
A Palestinian journalist who managed to enter Israel during the attack said in a video that Hamas members had “infiltrated two of the most important kibbutzim” in southern Israel: Nir Oz and Nir Am.
He said that they are trying to kidnap Israeli civilians and soldiers to the Gaza Strip. He further stated that the terrorists entered the Gaza Border community after “walking for about an hour.”
A house burns in the Kfar Azza kibbutz that Palestinians stormed from the Gaza Strip on Saturday.AP Palestinians hide after an Israeli airstrike at the Erez crossing between Israel and the northern Gaza Strip. AFP via Getty Images
Residents of the southern Bedouin town of Rahat are panicking as they appear to be at one of the epicenters of rocket fire and terrorist infiltration — with almost no means of protection from attack.
“There are probably 10 shelters here in the whole of Rahat,” in an area of about 11.3 million acres, Mayor Ata Abu Mediam told The Marker, a Hebrew-language news outlet. “I asked for 50 protective shields in the previous round of rockets, they brought me two.” he added.
“After this round, I did not send the children back to school. In the meantime, schools in the settlement are open, and those who do not have a home or shelter should stay in school,” the mayor added, saying five residents of Rahat were hit by gunfire while working in fields around the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian militants celebrate with an Israeli tank at the border fence of the Gaza Strip. AP Palestinian militants ride in an Israeli military vehicle that was hijacked by armed men who infiltrated southern Israel.REUTERS
“A woman who works in agriculture was seriously injured in the neck. I have no confirmation whether the weapon was fired by the Gazans or the security forces,” he added. A shooting attack in the neighborhood of Albat has been reported, resulting in an undetermined number of deaths and injuries.
Tens of thousands of Israeli army reservists are being mobilized.
The Israeli army responded to the attack by attacking Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
