Airports close in southern and central Israel:
Local airports in central and southern Israel have been closed for commercial and leisurely use, according to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
Local airports in central and southern Israel have been closed for commercial and leisurely use, according to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
Operation surprised Israel: Hamas member
Hamas member Ezzat al-Rashq says the operation surprised Israel “in terms of time, place and planning”.
Hamas member Ezzat al-Rashq says the operation surprised Israel “in terms of time, place and planning”.
Why firing of long-range rockets by Hamas is important
The fact that Hamas decided to kick off the attack using long-range rockets is “very significant”.
“We usually see them being fired at the end of an escalation, as was the case in the previous major confrontation in 2021. So this operation is starting in the highest extent,”
“It is not just a threat or an attack sending warning messages. It is actually a sign that Hamas is carrying out an operation in the widest scale that they could,” other Palestinian factions in Gaza had also joined the battle.
The fact that Hamas decided to kick off the attack using long-range rockets is “very significant”.
“We usually see them being fired at the end of an escalation, as was the case in the previous major confrontation in 2021. So this operation is starting in the highest extent,”
“It is not just a threat or an attack sending warning messages. It is actually a sign that Hamas is carrying out an operation in the widest scale that they could,” other Palestinian factions in Gaza had also joined the battle.
Israeli military radio is reporting that Palestinian fighters from Gaza have “infiltrated” Israel.
There is also footage of Palestinian fighters taking Israelis hostage.
The commander of Hamas’s military wing has called on armed groups in Lebanon to join the fight against Israel.
Hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza flee homes from areas bordering Israel
Hundreds of residents in the Gaza Strip have fled their homes to move away from the border with Israel.
Men, women and children were seen carrying blankets and food items as they left their homes, mostly in the northeastern part of the Palestinian territory.
Hundreds of residents in the Gaza Strip have fled their homes to move away from the border with Israel.
Men, women and children were seen carrying blankets and food items as they left their homes, mostly in the northeastern part of the Palestinian territory.
People here in Gaza have already been living under an Israeli blockade for 17 years. There is a common sense of fear and great worry. There are around 2.3 million people living here, and thousands of overcrowded refugee camps. This means that every air strike, targeting neighbourhoods, subjected to destruction.
Palestinian fighters enter Israel and thousands of rockets are fired as Hamas launches large-scale operation.
Hezbollah:
The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has said they are following the situation in Gaza and are “in direct contact with the leadership of the Palestinian resistance”.
The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has said they are following the situation in Gaza and are “in direct contact with the leadership of the Palestinian resistance”.
What is life like in Gaza?
For years, people living in the occupied Gaza Strip have had to contend with unemployment, power cuts, and the hardship brought on by the Israeli blockade.
The area of 365sq km (141sq miles) has also had to withstand many Israeli assaults during the past seven years, the last of which was in September when Israel used drones and a tank to attack protesters, leaving 22 injured.
In June 2007, Israel imposed an airtight land, sea and air blockade on the area and controls Gaza’s airspace, territorial waters, and two of the three border crossing points; the third is controlled by Egypt.
For years, people living in the occupied Gaza Strip have had to contend with unemployment, power cuts, and the hardship brought on by the Israeli blockade.
The area of 365sq km (141sq miles) has also had to withstand many Israeli assaults during the past seven years, the last of which was in September when Israel used drones and a tank to attack protesters, leaving 22 injured.
In June 2007, Israel imposed an airtight land, sea and air blockade on the area and controls Gaza’s airspace, territorial waters, and two of the three border crossing points; the third is controlled by Egypt.
What is life like in Gaza?
Unemployment has risen from 23.6 percent before the blockade to 47 percent at the end of 2022. The poverty rate has also increased from 40 percent in 2005 to 61.6 percent in 2022, according to the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.
Residents have to endure power cuts that average 12 hours a day, especially in periods of intense demand during the warmer months.
Unemployment has risen from 23.6 percent before the blockade to 47 percent at the end of 2022. The poverty rate has also increased from 40 percent in 2005 to 61.6 percent in 2022, according to the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.
Residents have to endure power cuts that average 12 hours a day, especially in periods of intense demand during the warmer months.
Timeline: Israel’s attacks on Gaza
The following timeline lists the major large-scale rounds of fighting between Israel and Gaza.
December 2008 – Israel launches a 22-day military offensive in Gaza after rockets were fired at the southern Israeli town of Sderot. About 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis killed before a ceasefire is agreed upon. The confrontation lasted for 23 days.
November 2012 – Israel kills Hamas’s military chief of staff, Ahmad Jabari, followed by eight days of Israeli air raids on Palestine.
July-August 2014 – The kidnap and killing of three Israeli teenagers by Hamas leads to a seven-week war in which more than 2,100 Palestinians are killed in Gaza along with 73 Israelis, including 67 soldiers.
May 2021 – After weeks of tension during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, hundreds of Palestinians are injured by Israeli security forces at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem. Hamas demanded Israel withdraw security forces from the compound. Israel launched air raids on Gaza in response to what it said were rockets fired from Gaza. In the fighting that went on for 11 days, at least 260 people were killed in Gaza and 13 died in Israel.
August 2022 – More than 30 Palestinians, including women and children, killed in new air attacks carried out by Israeli planes. Palestinian Islamic Jihad, whose two commanders were killed in the air strikes, fires dozens of rockets into Israel in response.
May 2023 – Israel launched airstrikes on the Gaza strip called “Operation Shield and Arrow” which lasted for five days. At least 13 people, including six women and four children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Among the dead were three members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement.
The following timeline lists the major large-scale rounds of fighting between Israel and Gaza.
December 2008 – Israel launches a 22-day military offensive in Gaza after rockets were fired at the southern Israeli town of Sderot. About 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis killed before a ceasefire is agreed upon. The confrontation lasted for 23 days.
November 2012 – Israel kills Hamas’s military chief of staff, Ahmad Jabari, followed by eight days of Israeli air raids on Palestine.
July-August 2014 – The kidnap and killing of three Israeli teenagers by Hamas leads to a seven-week war in which more than 2,100 Palestinians are killed in Gaza along with 73 Israelis, including 67 soldiers.
May 2021 – After weeks of tension during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, hundreds of Palestinians are injured by Israeli security forces at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem. Hamas demanded Israel withdraw security forces from the compound. Israel launched air raids on Gaza in response to what it said were rockets fired from Gaza. In the fighting that went on for 11 days, at least 260 people were killed in Gaza and 13 died in Israel.
August 2022 – More than 30 Palestinians, including women and children, killed in new air attacks carried out by Israeli planes. Palestinian Islamic Jihad, whose two commanders were killed in the air strikes, fires dozens of rockets into Israel in response.
May 2023 – Israel launched airstrikes on the Gaza strip called “Operation Shield and Arrow” which lasted for five days. At least 13 people, including six women and four children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Among the dead were three members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement.