GAZA/JERUSALEM:
At least 40 Israelis were shot dead as Hamas resistance fighters carriedout an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak on Saturday,firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated theheavily fortified border in several locations by air, land and sea andcatching the country off-guard on a major holiday.
The Palestinian resistance movement launched the biggest attack on Israelin years in a surprise assault that combined gunmen crossing the borderwith a heavy barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.
Israel said the group had declared war as its army confirmed fighting withHamas fighters in several Israeli towns and military bases near Gaza andPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate.
“Our enemy will pay a price the type of which it has never known,” he said.”We are in a war and we will win it.”
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At least 40 Israelis were killed in the attack so far with more than 250wounded, Israel’s ambulance service said, but added that the toll wasexpected to rise.
The Israeli military said it had launched air strikes into Gaza, wherewitnesses reported hearing heavy explosions, with at least two dead.
Israeli media reported gunbattles between bands of Palestinian fighters andsecurity forces in towns in southern Israel. Israel’s police chief saidthere were “21 active scenes” in southern Israel, indicating the extent ofthe attack. -APP/AFP