Dozens killed in surprise Hamas attacks on Israel; Netanyahu says country ‘at war’

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 7, 2023 / 09:36 am (CNA).

Israel is “at war,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday after a series of surprise rocket attacks and incursions from Hamas killed dozens and saw the country being invaded on a major holiday.

The attacks, which were carried out on the observance of Simchat Torah, arose early on Saturday morning and had reportedly killed at least 40 and wounded hundreds more by mid-Saturday morning.

Netanyahu said on Twitter on Saturday that “since this morning, the State of Israel has been at war” and that the country’s “first objective is to clear out the hostile forces that infiltrated our territory and restore the security and quiet to the communities that have been attacked.”

“The second objective, at the same time, is to exact an immense price from the enemy, within the Gaza Strip as well,” he continued. “The third objective is to reinforce other fronts so that nobody should mistakenly join this war.”

“We are at war,” the prime minister added. “In war, one needs to be level-headed. I call on all citizens of Israel to unite in order to achieve our highest goal – victory in the war.”

Dozens of videos flooded social media on Saturday appearing to show scenes of the missile attacks and the resulting chaos in Israel.

A dispatch from Israeli Defense Forces said that by early afternoon “dozens of IDF fighter jets struck Hamas terror targets in the Gaza Strip,” targeting “17 military compounds and 4 operational command centers” belonging to Hamas.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, meanwhile, said in a statement that he was “closely monitoring developments” of the conflict.

“Our commitment to Israel’s right to defend itself remains unwavering, and I extend my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this abhorrent attack on civilians,” Austin said.

“Over the coming days the Department of Defense will work to ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself and protect civilians from indiscriminate violence and terrorism,” he added.

This is a developing story.