Israel-Hamas war: Israel strikes back at Gaza after surprise attack

Hamas, the Palestinian militant group which rules the Gaza Strip, launched an extensive surprise attack against Israel on Saturday, coinciding with the Jewish holiday Simchat Torah. It launched thousands of rockets from Gaza, while militants infiltrated Israeli communities, killing residents and abducting hostages.

In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared his nation was “at war” with Hamas. The Israeli military continues to fight militants in southern Israel, and has launched air strikes across Gaza, destroying multiple buildings.

At least 300 Israelis have been killed and more than 1800 are injured, according to the country’s rescue service officials. The Palestinian Authority’s health ministry says at least 313 Palestinians have been killed, including 20 children, with almost 2000 wounded.

The Israeli military says a “significant” but unspecified number of civilians and hostages are being held in Gaza.

Ominous development as Hezbollah strikes

Hamas, or in some cases only its military wing, is designated a terrorist organisation by Australia and many other countries, including the United States and United Kingdom.

The same is true of Hezbollah, a political party and militant group with significant power in Lebanon, which borders Israel to the north.

On Sunday morning, local time, Hezbollah shelled an Israeli military position in the Shebaa farms area, a strip of disputed territory in the Golan Heights. It has been held by Israel since the Six-Day War in 1967.

“The radar sites Zibdin and Ruwaisat Al-Alam were bombed with large numbers of artillery shells and guided missiles,” Hezbollah said in a statement.

“We targeted three Israeli occupation sites.”

Israel responded with artillery strikes back into Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah positions.

The post below from the Israeli Defence Forces, which includes drone footage of one such strike, reads: “Documentation of the Hezbollah infrastructure attack earlier today in the Mount Dov region.”

UNIFIL, the United Nations peacekeeping force deployed on the border between Israel and Lebanon, issued a statement confirming the exchange of fire had happened.

“Early this morning, UNIFIL peacekeepers detected several rockets fired from southeast Lebanon towards Israeli-occupied territory in the general area of Kafr Chouba, and artillery fire from Israel to Lebanon in response,” it said.

“We are in contact with authorities on both sides of the Blue Line, at all levels, to contain the situation and avoid a more serious escalation. Our peacekeepers remain in their positions and on task. They continue to work, some from shelters for their safety.

“We urge everyone to exercise restraint and make use of UNIFIL’s liaison and co-ordination mechanisms to de-escalate to prevent a fast deterioration of the security situation.”

The “Blue Line” mentioned in that statement is the UN-imposed demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon.

Al-Jazeera reports the feeling in Lebanon was “very tense” in the wake of the incident, with locals fearful of being drawn into the conflict.

“Israeli drones are now flying around near the Lebanese border and people, even in the capital city Beirut, are scared and worried,” said reporter Zeina Khodr.

“Lebanese (people) now say this is not their war.

“There is already a political and economic crisis, and Lebanon has few friends in the international sphere.

“Hezbollah knows this and are treading carefully. So there is escalation, but so far, to a certain extent, it is relatively contained.”

Israeli tourists shot dead in Egypt

Two Israeli tourists and their Egyptian guide were killed by a policeman on Sunday.

The police officer in Alexandria, an Egyptian city, opened fire “at random” at a visiting Israeli tour group using “his personal weapon”, the state-affiliated service Extra News said, quoting a security source.

A fourth person was wounded and the policeman was “immediately arrested”, it added.

The Israeli foreign ministry confirmed the deaths in a statement.

“This morning, during a visit of Israeli tourists in Alexandria, Egypt, a local opened fire at them, murdering two Israeli citizens and their Egyptian guide,” it alleged.

“In addition, there is a wounded Israeli in moderate condition.”

Egypt was the first Arab country to forge a peace deal with Israel in 1979, and has long served as a key intermediary between Israel and the Palestinians.

However, despite the diplomatic relations, Israel remains unpopular among Egyptians.

In June, three Israeli soldiers were killed in a firefight at the border with Egypt by a member of the Egyptian security forces, who had crossed the border “in pursuit of drug traffickers”, according to the Egyptian army.

On Saturday Egypt’s President, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, warned of a “vicious cycle of tensions threatening regional stability and security”.

– with AFP