GAZA/JERUSALEM:
At least 40 Israelis were shot dead as Hamas resistance fighters carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak on Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land and sea and catching the country off-guard on a major holiday.
The Palestinian resistance movement launched the biggest attack on Israel in years in a surprise assault that combined gunmen crossing the border with a heavy barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.
Israel said the group had declared war as its army confirmed fighting with Hamas fighters in several Israeli towns and military bases near Gaza and Prime 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."
At least 40 Israelis were killed in the attack so far with more than 250 wounded, Israel's ambulance service said, but added that the toll was expected to rise.
The Israeli military said it had launched air strikes into Gaza, where witnesses reported hearing heavy explosions, with at least two dead.
Israeli media reported gunbattles between bands of Palestinian fighters and security forces in towns in southern Israel. Israel's police chief said there were "21 active scenes" in southern Israel, indicating the extent of the attack. -APP/AFP