Israel under attack.
"We are at war and we will take revenge," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said bluntly after the attack launched by Hamas from the Gaza Strip, with thousands of rocket launches and also armed incursions by militiamen, which caused hundreds of victims , thousands injured and hostages taken.
The army has declared a "state of alert" and tens of thousands of reservists have been called into service for what public television Kan calls "Operation Iron Swords".
Mohammad Deif , head of the military wing of Hamas (acronym for Ḥarakat al-Muqāwama al-Islāmiyya, the Islamic Resistance Movement in power in Gaza) announced the start of the "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation: «We have warned the Zionist enemy several times - said Deif - but we have always had refusals". "We will put an end to Israel's crimes", added Deif, also denouncing "desecrations" in the Holy Places of Jerusalem.
Since the early hours of Saturday, thousands of rockets have been launched from Gaza towards Israel - five thousand according to Hamas - some of which were intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome defense batteries. And the same script repeated itself at sunset.
At least 250 Israelis have died , according to local media, and the same number have been recorded among Palestinians , militiamen and otherwise, after the reprisals of the Jewish State in the Strip.
However, thousands of people are injured, while the alarm sirens continue to sound throughout the part closest to the Strip, but also in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Hamas “made a grave mistake this morning and launched a war against the State of Israel,” said Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, adding that the army “is fighting against the enemy everywhere. I urge all Israeli citizens to follow the safety instructions. The State of Israel - he concluded - will win this war".
The Italian embassy in Israel, for its part, invited compatriots "to avoid any travel that is not strictly necessary, maintain maximum attention, stay informed and follow the instructions of the local authorities".
(Unioneonline)