Wall Street Journal: “Iran helped Hamas plan attack on Israel” – Fears of wider region conflagration

The second nightmare night in IsraelWith the Palestinian Islamic organization agitation To continue the bombing Gaza strip While the Wall Street Journal It reveals that planning for the attack began in August, according to senior Hamas and Hezbollah officials. The death toll of Israelis and Palestinians continues to rise exceeds 1100 Within 48 hoursWhile thousands were injured.

81 people out of 149 registered were returned, From Israel And Palestinian territorieswhich flew ‘directly with the scheduled A flight From high on Athens».

Biden orders military assistance to Israel – US aircraft carrier in the northern Mediterranean

the Pentagonafter Communications between US President Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu,instructions for New aid to Israel. The United States announced that it would send equipment and ammunition, and orders had already been issued to send a naval attack group led by a US Navy aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean. The Pentagon will increase the number of its fighter aircraft in the region. the Hamas responded that these American moves constitute an attack on the Palestinians.

Facing the bloodiest attack on its territory since its establishment in 1948 Israel officially declared war on Hamas on Sunday (10/8). After the unprecedented attack launched by the Palestinian Islamic Movement on Saturday morning from the Gaza Strip.

Seeking to regain control after this large-scale attack – by land, sea and air – at midday Saturday, Israeli forces continued to pursue Hamas members in southern Israel and continued their air strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip, destroying buildings and killing civilians. .

he The besieged Palestinian enclave Experienced on his part The bloodiest day in 15 years of Israeli raids According to Palestinian officials.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu He warned of a “prolonged” war., which left nearly 1,000 people dead in less than 48 hours, according to the latest official count issued on Sunday evening. More than 600 people were killed in Israel and 2,000 others were injured, including 200 in “critical condition,” according to government figures. Israeli media reported that at least 700 Israelis were killed.

“Enemy forces are still on the ground“We are strengthening our forces, especially near the Gaza Strip, and we are clearing the area,” the Israeli military spokesman said in the afternoon, pledging that the Israeli armed forces would pursue “terrorists wherever they are.”

On Saturday night, Israel’s security cabinet voted to officially put the country on a state of war to carry out “significant military activities.” Netanyahu had already said that Israel was at war after Hamas fighters infiltrated southern Israel. He gave the Security Council resolution Legal basis To declare the country in a state of war.

Restoring control and distress to prisoners

In the Gaza Strip, which has been under Hamas control since 2007. 413 Palestinians, including 78 children and 41 women, were martyred as a result of Israeli raids.Local authorities announced. 2,300 people were also injured.

The Israeli army deployed tens of thousands of troops to regain full control of the desert areas near the Gaza Strip, rescue the Israeli hostages still there, and evacuate all residents of the area by Monday morning. The Israeli government announced today that Hamas has arrested “more than 100 prisoners.”

Israeli army commander Herzi Halevy said: “Civilians and soldiers are in the hands of the enemy, and we are in a state of war.”

Israeli media reported that about 170 Israelis are detained in Gaza. Shocking scenes on social media show kidnappings of women, children and the elderly. The images of Palestinian victims of Israeli bombing are also shocking.

At least 250 bodies have been recovered from a music festival in Israel

Many of the victims in Israel were young men participating in a festival held in the Negev Desert. In particular, rescuers said they found her More than 250 bodies To an extent, to a degree.

there are many Foreign nationals Who were killed in Hamas attacks, or They were captured It is held in the Gaza Strip.

at least Three Americans were killed After the attacks launched by Hamas on Israel, according to CNN. Murder of a French woman In this attack, which was also launched by Hamas, Two Mexican nationals believed to be held hostage by Hamas, Ten Nepalese were also killed. at least Five German citizens are among Hamas prisoners. Among the dead The British and the Ukrainians.

However, The number of hostages remains undetermined As well as many of their nationalities. The Israeli ambassador to the United States spoke of “dozens” of American prisoners.

Of course, for the first time, in the afternoon in her Facebook post, the The Israeli government reported the number of hostages. According to the evidence, More than 100 hostages. He did not provide further details to the Israeli media There are reports of up to 170 prisoners. According to the same sources, they are among them More than 20 children, even children, women, the elderly and even soldiers.

Many Israelis have turned to social media to To try to find them Their loved ones. In Lod, near Ben Gurion International Airport, police and Israeli Civil Defense opened a “Missing Persons Management Center” to try to provide information.

The Israeli army spokesman, General Daniel Hagari, in reference to the questions raised about the Israeli army’s surprise with the Hamas attack yesterday, stressed that: “There are difficult questions that need to be answered and answered.” A comprehensive investigation is required. The Israeli public deserves answers, and it is our responsibility to provide them.”

“Now we are in a state of war. The IDF is fully committed to attacking and defeating the enemy. We will fight first and then we will investigate.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog called for “the unity of the people, in Parliament, which demands the formation of an emergency government.”

Netanyahu said, “The first phase was completed (…) with the elimination of the vast majority of enemy forces that infiltrated our lands,” warning that “the war will be long and difficult.”

Israel “9/11”

On Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. The Lebanese Shiite organization HezbollahAn ally of Hamas and Iran. Shells were fired into a disputed border areaCausing Israeli drone attack Targeting Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.

A senior Hezbollah official pledged unconditional support to the Palestinians and said the organization is “not neutral” in the current escalation between the Palestinians and Israel.

in EgyptTwo Israeli tourists were shot dead by a police officer in Alexandria, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian armed group, claimed to have captured “several soldiers.” The Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement, Ziad Nakhleh, said this evening that his movement is holding more than 30 Israeli hostages.

Netanyahu admitted that “what happened is unprecedented in Israel.”

“Israel was taken by surprise by this unprecedented attack,” said Jonathan Banikoff, director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative. “I have heard a lot of comparisons to 9/11, and many Israelis have difficulty understanding how this could happen.”

The 1973 Arab-Israeli war, which remains a national shock in Israel, is a “small matter” compared to yesterday’s Hamas raid, a former Israeli soldier said, calling it a “very serious failure”.

The attack came on the last day of the Jewish Sukkot holiday in Israel and one day after the fiftieth anniversary of the start of the Arab-Israeli War in 1973, which took Israel by surprise and occurred during Yom Kippur (the Jewish Day of Atonement). . That war left 2,600 Israelis dead and at least 9,500 dead and missing on the Arab side during three weeks of fighting.

Shadi Al-Ashi (29 years old), a resident of Gaza, said that in the face of the Israeli counterattack, “we fear destruction and the end of civil society in the Gaza Strip.”

“Self-defense”

Sunday, The fighting continued with more Hamas attacks from Gazaincluding attacks with Missiles In Israeli border towns, according to the Israeli army. First of all, the Israeli army was surprised today by its counter-attack operations in the Gaza Strip.

This was announced by the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement They launched this operation and fired more than 5,000 missiles at Israel “to put an end to the crimes of the occupation.” Israel has occupied the West Bank, which is Palestinian territory, and the eastern part of Jerusalem since 1967, and has imposed a siege on Gaza since 2007.

the Israel canceled the power outage The Palestinian sector and the suspension of the delivery of food and goods there.

The Israeli Ministry of Education announced this Schools in Israel will remain closed until Tuesday.

While the UN Security Council will lead An emergency meeting about the situation Later on Sunday, most Western countries since yesterday strongly condemned the Hamas attacks and expressed their unwavering support for Israel in a series of phone calls between Western leaders and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

the United States of AmericaTraditional ally of Israel It announced the immediate shipment of additional ammunition to IsraelThe US Army is in the process of strengthening its military presence in the Middle East. Washington specifically stressed that an aircraft carrier strike group is moving in the maritime area closest to Israel, and this group includes the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and the ships that support it. The Pentagon will also add fighter jets to the region.

The ruling Palestinian Islamic Movement in Gaza said today that Washington’s announcement to increase military support for Israel to help the Jewish state confront a Hamas attack amounts to “participation in an attack on our people.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan He urged Israel and Hamas on Sunday to “support peace” and spare civilians.

For his part, Iranian President Ibrahim Raishi said today that “Iran supports the legitimate defense of the Palestinian people.” According to Iranian media, Raisi spoke today with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and the head of the Islamic Jihad movement.

Many airlines suspended their flights to Tel Aviv. The Polish government announced that it would send military aircraft to transport its citizens out of Israel.