Israeli civilians and soldiers are being held captive by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip following a surprise attack on Israel early on Saturday.
Hamas fired thousands of rockets from Gaza and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip, in a major escalation between the two sides.
Israel’s national rescue service said at least 200 people have been killed and hundreds more wounded, making it the deadliest attack the nation has seen in decades. Israeli media put the death toll higher, at 250.
An unknown number of Israeli soldiers and civilians were also seized with some taken into Gaza, the Israeli military confirmed.
Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza, vowing to inflict an “unprecedented price.”
At least 232 people in the Gaza Strip have been killed in the retaliatory strikes and at least 1,610 wounded, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
On Saturday evening, an Israeli army spokesman said fighting was continuing in 22 locations in southern Israel some 12 hours after Hamas militants launched their surprise attack from the Gaza Strip.
Rear Adm Daniel Hagari confirmed ongoing hostage situations in the southern towns of Ofakim and Beeri.
Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas’ military wing, said dozens of Israeli soldiers, including some officers, had been captured. He said the captives were being held in “safe places” and militant tunnels.
A top Hamas official, Saleh Arouri, told Al-Jazeera TV his group is holding “a large number” of Israeli prisoners including senior officers, adding they will be used in a prisoner exchange to free Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails.
US president Joe Biden promised Israel “rock solid and unwavering support” in a televised address on Saturday night.
Airstrikes carried out by Israel on Saturday evening flattened a 14-storey residential tower that also holds Hamas offices in central Gaza City. Israeli fired a warning just before, and the number of casualties was not immediately known.
Hamas militants infiltrated Israel by sea, air and land early on Saturday, attacking communities and stunning Israelis during a major Jewish holiday.
The fighters used explosives to break through the border fence enclosing the long-blockaded Mediterranean territory, then crossed with motorcycles, pickup trucks, paragliders and speed boats on the coast.
In an assault of startling breadth, Hamas gunmen rolled into as many as 22 locations outside the Gaza Strip, including communities as far as 15 miles from the Gaza border. In some places, they roamed for hours, gunning down civilians and soldiers.
Bodies of dead Israeli civilians and Hamas militants were seen on streets of Israeli towns.
Images on social media appeared to show fighters parading what seemed to be captured Israeli military vehicles through Gaza streets and a dead Israeli soldier being dragged and trampled by a crowd of Palestinians.
The conflict threatened to spiral dramatically further.
Previous conflicts between Israel and Gaza's Hamas ruler brought widespread death and destruction in Gaza and days of rocket fire on Israeli towns.
"We are at war," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address, declaring a mass army mobilization. "Not an 'operation,' not a 'round,' but at war."
"The enemy will pay an unprecedented price," he added, promising that Israel would "return fire of a magnitude that the enemy has not known."
In a later address on Saturday night, Mr Netanyahu said the military will use all its strength to destroy Hamas’ capabilities but the war will “take time”.
“We will defeat them and take revenge for this black day,” he said.
US president Joe Biden has spoken to Mr Netanyahu to pledge his administration’s support.
"We will not ever fail to have her back," Mr Biden said in a televised address at the White House on Saturday night, UK time. "Israel has a right to defend itself and its people - full stop.
The UK supports Israel’s right to self-defence.
— James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) October 7, 2023
We completely condemn these terrorist acts against Israel. pic.twitter.com/b1Ym3tnpDh
“Let me say this as clearly as I can. This is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage. The world is watching.”
In the UK, Rishi Sunak said Israel has “an absolute right to defend itself”, and added the British Government was in contact with Israeli authorities.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Britain “unequivocally condemns” the surprise attack by Hamas.
“The UK unequivocally condemns the horrific attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians. The UK will always support Israel‘s right to defend itself,” he said in a post on social media.
Photos on Saturday night showed the Brandeburg Gate in Berlin lit up with the colours of the Israeli flag, in solidarity.
The leader of Hamas' military wing, Mohammed Deif, said the assault was in response to the 16-year blockade of Gaza, Israeli raids inside West Bank cities over the past year, violence at Al Aqsa — the disputed Jerusalem holy site sacred to Jews as the Temple Mount — increasing attacks by settlers on Palestinians and growth of settlements.
"Enough is enough," Deif said in the recorded message.
He said the morning attack was only the start of what he called "Operation Al-Aqsa Storm" and called on Palestinians from east Jerusalem to northern Israel to join the fight. "Today the people are regaining their revolution."
At a meeting of top security officials Saturday, Mr Netanyahu said the first priority was to "cleanse" southern Israel of infiltrators, followed by a greater retaliation in Gaza.
The Hamas incursion on Simchat Torah, a normally joyous day when Jews complete the annual cycle of reading the Torah scroll, revived painful memories of the 1973 Mideast war practically 50 years to the day, in which Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, aiming to take back Israeli-occupied territories.
Israel has maintained a blockade over Gaza since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007. The bitter enemies have fought four wars since then.
The blockade, which restricts the movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza, has devastated the territory's economy. Israel says the blockade is needed to keep militant groups from building up their arsenals. The Palestinians say the closure amounts to collective punishment.
