Hamas military chief declares start of ‘military operation’ against Israel ‘infamous and underhanded’: Minister rails against AfD actions in Chrupalla case

After massive rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip, the Islamist Hamas government there has declared the start of a “military operation” against Israel. Hamas has decided to put an end to Israeli “crimes,” Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif said in a message Saturday morning.

Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip unexpectedly fired dozens of rockets at targets in Israel on Saturday morning. Warning sirens sounded in several cities across the country, the military said. Rocket alarms were also heard in Tel Aviv.

The military urged residents of the southern and central parts of the country to remain in protected areas. Israel is currently celebrating the Jewish festival of Simchat Torah (Joy of the Torah). Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to hold security consultations with representatives of the Defense Ministry and the army later in the day.

Medics reported injuries from the rocket attacks in the areas of Ashkelon, Gedera and Javne. A 70-year-old woman was seriously injured in a direct hit in a building near Gedera, the Magen David Adom rescue service said.

Allegedly armed Palestinians in Israel

According to the military, several armed Palestinians have also entered Israeli territory in the wake of the massive attacks from the Gaza Strip on Israel. The military said on Saturday that several terrorists were on Israeli territory and urged residents of border towns on the edge of the coastal strip to stay in their homes.

Eyewitnesses reported gunfire in the street. It was unclear how the attackers from the Gaza Strip were able to overcome the tightly protected border. A video circulating on social media showed, among other things, a hang glider. However, this could not initially be independently verified.

The situation reached a fever pitch

The massive attack from the Gaza Strip came as a surprise. However, the situation, especially in the occupied West Bank, had recently deteriorated again. Four Palestinians have been killed there since Thursday in their own attacks or in clashes with the army.

The security situation in Israel and the West Bank has long been tense. Since the beginning of the year, 27 Israelis, a Ukrainian and an Italian have been killed in attacks. During the same period, more than 200 Palestinians died during Israeli military operations, confrontations or after their own attacks.

Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967. The Palestinians claim these areas for an independent state of Palestine with the Arab-dominated eastern part of Jerusalem as its capital.

There have been several violent protests at the Gaza border in the past month. Explosives were also thrown at soldiers and several Palestinians were injured by gunfire. In light of the incidents, the Israeli Air Force has repeatedly attacked posts belonging to the militant Palestinian organization Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.

According to the UN, more than two million people live in very poor conditions in the Gaza Strip. Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the EU, the US and Israel, seized exclusive power by force in 2007. Israel subsequently tightened the blockade of the coastal area, which Egypt supported. (sda/dpa)