Israel says it is ‘at war’ as Hamas launches surprise attack
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Israel and Palestinian militants are at war after stunning and deadly surprise attacks by Hamas that coincided with a major Jewish holiday and the 50th anniversary of the start of the 1973 Yom Kippur war. It was one of the most significant attacks on Israel in decades, with militants infiltrating 22 towns and army bases by land, air and sea, on motorbikes and by parachutes and motorboats.
Hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians have been killed, and thousands more on both sides injured .Perhaps dozens of Israelis have been kidnapped in a dramatic and unprecedented move, setting off a panicked scramble among Israelis trying to track down their loved ones. The attacks are being referred to as Israel’s 9/11.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a long war ahead, and retaliatory military strikes were leveling building in Gaza, a Palestinian territory on the Mediterranean Sea controlled by the Palestinian military group Hamas. In Northern Israel, Israel and Hezbollah militants from Lebanon exchanged fire, signaling that the battle that started Saturday could evolve into a broader regional conflict.
The attack appears to have caught Israel off-guard on Simchat Torah, an important Jewish holiday filled with dancing and partying. It has also revived memories of the 1973 war, in which Israel’s enemies launched a surprise attack on Yom Kippur.
“We are at war, and we will win it,” Netanyahu said.
In Saturday afternoon remarks from the White House, President Joe Biden condemned the attacks, which involved dozens of gunmen and thousands of rockets. Biden pledged that U.S. support would not waver as Netanyahu promised a crushing response.
Biden calls attacks on Israel ‘appalling’
President Joe Biden said Hamas’ surprise assault on Israel was “appalling” and condemned the Palestinian militant group’s attacks on civilians as “unconscionable” in Saturday afternoon remarks in which he pledged that U.S. support would not waver.
“Israel has the right to defend itself and its people. Full stop,” Biden said. “There’s never a justification for terrorist attacks.”
Biden’s remarks came after gunmen from the Palestinian militant group Hamas infiltrated southern Israel, launching thousands of rockets overnight and into the morning.
Biden reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel’s security in a call earlier on Saturday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Members of the president’s Cabinet were also in touch with their Israeli counterparts following the attack.
“This is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage: the world is watching,” Biden said in remarks that appeared to refer to Iran.
The U.S. president said he had also spoken with King Abdullah II of Jordan on Saturday and U.S. members of Congress.
– Francesca Chambers
What is Simchat Torah? Religious holiday celebrations interrupted by attacks
The attack on Israel by Hamas forces coincided with the Jewish religious holiday Simchat Torah.
Simchat Torah, which means “the joy of the Torah,” is “supposed to be a day of rejoicing when Jews celebrate completing the end of the Torah cycle and beginning again,” said Ruth Franklin, a Jewish writer and a finalist for the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature.
Simchat Torah is part of the holiday Shemini Atzeret. In Israel, they are celebrated on the same day and often referred to interchangeably. For Jewish people outside Israel, Shemini Atzeret is usually a two-day celebration, with Simchat Torah occurring on the second day.
At one synagogue about 90 minutes north of the epicenter of the attacks, half the people celebrated and danced with the Torah while the other half arrived in their uniforms and left their neighborhoods to serve, said Yael Eckstein, president and CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
Shaya Lerner, director of Israel Affairs at the Anti-Defamation League, said many Jewish people let their guard down and celebrate on Simchat Torah.
“I think there was an intentionality in having this attack because of the historic significance and it’s a day of letting down your guard and celebrating the Jewish Torah and not being prepared for this sort of conflict,” Lerner said.
– Jeanine Santucci and Krystal Nurse
Emergency UN Security Council meeting called
As rockets and gunfire continue, world leaders will convene as soon as Sunday to address the latest conflict in Israel.
The United Nations Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting at the behest of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who said he was “shocked” over the attacks.
“Brazil will spare no efforts to prevent the escalation of the conflict,” he said in a Saturday post to X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Brazilian leader emphasized how the international community must, “work to immediately resume negotiations” that will lead to an economically viable Palestine which can coexist “peacefully with Israel within safe borders for both sides.”
Brazil assumed the rotating presidency over the 15-nation Security Council this month, which gives it the authority to call such a meeting.
– Phillip M. Bailey
Death toll rising
As the world digests what looks to be one of the widest attacks against Israel in almost a half-century, the death toll is rising.
As of Saturday afternoon, there were reports that more than 250 people have been killed, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials.
Around 200 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in a combination of retaliatory shootouts or airstrikes, according to the Gazan Health Ministry.
– Phillip M. Bailey
What is the Palestinian group Hamas?
Hamas, or the Islamic Resistance Movement, is a militant group that is also one of the two main Palestinian political parties. Its political arm governs more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza.
Hamas, whose main power base is located in Gaza, has been designated a terrorist organization by dozens of countries, including the U.S., because it is committed to the destruction of Israel. It has used suicide bombings and rocket attacks against Israeli civilians as part of that aim.
It was founded by a Palestinian activist connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist organization with ties to Egypt. Iran provides Hamas with financial, material and logistical support and it also cooperates with Hezbollah, another Iran-backed, U.S.-designated terrorist group, based in Lebanon.
– Kim Hjelmgaard
“A colossal intel failure … I’m stunned”
Marc Polymeropoulos, a former longtime senior CIA operations officer on the Middle East and elsewhere, questioned how Israel, with its first-class intelligence-gathering network, could have missed signs of such an impending attack.
“Israeli intel has sophisticated technology…that blankets the West Bank/Gaza,” Polymeropoulos said in reference to Israel’s human intelligence and signals intelligence networks. “It’s their raison d’etre. How this happened – the colossal intel failure – is incomprehensible. Having worked with Israelis, plus time in West Bank and Gaza, I’m stunned.”
“I’d add, what about the US IC? ….and Egyptian intelligence?,” he said, referring to the U.S. intelligence community. Other Arab services? Jordanians, Saudis and Qataris?” Polymeropoulos asked on X. “Did absolutely ever(y) intel service in region miss this? So many questions.”
– Josh Meyer
Israel confirms civilians and hostages taken by Hamas
Hamas militants who crossed over the border into Israel early Saturday have taken civilians and soldiers as hostages, the Israeli military’s top spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, confirmed in a briefing with reporters. Hagari did not specify how many, though he did say some have been killed.
In the past, Palestinian militants have used Israeli soldiers as bargaining chips to secure the release of their own fighters held by Israel. In one notable case, that of the Israeli solider Gilad Shalit, Israel released more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners to secure his freedom in 2011.
Shalit had been held for almost five years.
– Kim Hjelmgaard
More:What was the Yom Kippur War? Why Saturday surprise attack on Israel is reminiscent of 1973
What was the Yom Kippur War?
The Yom Kippur War of 1973 took place after Israel had expanded its territory increasing tensions with neighboring Arab states, according to American University. On Yom Kippur – or the Jewish holy day of atonement – Egyptian and Syrian forces launched a surprise attack against Israel.
The war lasted for three weeks and ended after the United Nations Security Council called for a ceasefire, according to Britannica.
“For Israel, even though they controlled more territories than at the start of the war, it was nevertheless a major political defeat, and the country was reeling from the loss of life on a scale it had not experienced since 1948,” said Boaz Atzili, an associate professor at the school of international service at American University, in a news release.
− Sudiksha Kochi
More:On their nation’s 75th anniversary, Israelis ask: Is this still a democracy?
Former US security officials decry attack, question whether Israel missed key warning signs
Former U.S. national security and counter-terrorism officials expressed shock at the scope of the assault, and the coordination it must have required. They also questioned whether it was a colossal intelligence failure by the Israel government.
“Today’s attack by HAMAS on Israel is unprecedented given the scope and complexity of the operation into Israel. Rather than a single terrorist attack, this was a complex operation that involved commando teams and rocket attacks against multiple targets,” Javed Ali, a former senior U.S. counterterrorism official at the FBI, White House and National Security Council in the Trump administration, told USA TODAY.
“As a result, it must have required deliberate planning over a long period of time, and could have involved coordination and operational support from Iran, which has long provided the group with weapons and money,” Ali said. “Lastly, given the broad nature of the operation, the fact that Israel appears to have lacked advance warning is surprising, given Israel’s excellence in intelligence and domestic security.”
Others were even more critical of Israel for missing signs of an impending assault.
“To call this an intelligence failure is too simple. Every single piece of defense — air, land, water – failed. It is inexplicable to those of us who have worked with them or know their capacity,” tweeted Juliette Kayyem, a former top Department of Homeland Security official.
“This attack is HUGE. Hostages taken. Civilians and soldiers mass executed. It could lead to a regional war,” tweeted Malcolm Nance, a former 36-year U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism official.
The attack could also raise questions about whether the U.S. government missed key warning signs.
–Josh Meyer
How will protests affect Israel’s ability to fight Hamas?
The Hamas attack on Israel comes as reservists in Israel’s military have for months skipped training and taken part in protests over Israel leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempt to force through controversial reforms to the country’s justice system, including curbing the powers of its Supreme Court.
Israel relies on its reservists to train younger military personnel and to generally keep the country combat-ready in a neighborhood where it faces many security threats outside and inside its borders. And Israeli officials and members of its military and security establishment have previously expressed alarm that these protests could damage its ability to deal with a major security threat.
However, leading members of reservist protests groups said Saturday they would be joining the fight.
“We call on anyone required to stand up for the defense of Israel immediately and without hesitation. At this moment, the most important thing is the security of our country’s citizens,” said Brother and Sisters in Arms, one such group, in a statement.
– Kim Hjelmgaard
US leaders condemn attack
Across the U.S. many elected officials waking up to Saturday’s news denounced the actions by militants, who launched an early morning assault on southern Israel.
“The cold-blooded massacre of innocent civilians being committed by Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists is shocking, despicable, and an act of war,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Israel has every right to defend its citizens and the United States must stand by our ally.”
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., said Saturday morning he was “deeply saddened and alarmed” by reports coming out of Israel.
“We must condemn terrorism in all its forms,” he said. “Praying for the victims of this disturbing violence and that peace may prevail.”
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who was recently ousted as speaker of the House, called Israel the “strongest ally in the Middle East” for the U.S. in a social media post.
“Make no mistake: Israeli civilians are being slaughtered by Hamas terrorists,” he said. “We condemn these attacks, stand with our dear ally, Israel, and support its right to defend itself in this war.”
– Phillip M. Bailey
Related:Israel’s military reservists have transformed a political crisis into a security one
What is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
It’s one of the world’s most enduring and intractable conflicts that connects to a century of competing claims to land, borders and rights in a region of deep historical and religious significance.
The United Nations in 1947 tried to divide the-then British Mandate of Palestine into separate Arab and Jewish states. A year later, when the state of Israel was created, the first Arab-Israeli War broke out. Ever since Israel’s victory and following several other wars, Palestinians have gradually been displaced from territory that they also see as their rightful homeland.
As this displacement has happened, Palestinian militants groups have sprung up, sometimes joining but also sometimes in opposition to, Palestinian political groups.
Hamas, for example, has both a political and militant wing.
Today, tensions between Israel and Palestinians have continued to simmer in East Jerusalem (which Palestinians claim as a future capital), the Gaza Strip (a Palestinian enclave on the Mediterranean Sea) and the West Bank (the main bulk of current-day Palestinian territory that is effectively controlled by Israel).
– Kim Hjelmgaard
‘We understand that this is something big’
Israel and Hamas have fought several wars since 2007. However, it is rare for its fighters to infiltrate Israel on this scale and this appears to be the biggest attack by Hamas on Israel in years.
Millions of Israelis were seeking safety in bombers shelters and safe rooms. There were reports in Israeli media that Palestinian militants were holding Israelis captive in Ofakim, a southern town.
“We understand that this is something big,” Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, an Israeli army spokesman, told reporters.
– Kim Hjelmgaard
Why is Hamas attacking Israel now?
Mohammed Deif, the leader of Hamas’ military wing, said that the start of what he called “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm,” was in connection to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem that is the third holiest site in Islam.
The site, which is also located on the holiest site for Jews − who refer to it as the Temple Mount − has long been a flashpoint between Israelis and Palestinians. Israeli security services routinely raid the compound.
“Enough is enough,” Deif, said in a recorded message, as he called on Palestinians from east Jerusalem to northern Israel to join the fight. “Today the people are regaining their revolution.”
‘With rockets we somehow feel safer’
In Nahal Oz, a kibbutz about 2.5 miles from Gaza, terrified residents who were huddled indoors said they could hear constant gunfire echoing off the buildings as firefights continued even hours after the initial attack.
“With rockets we somehow feel safer, knowing that we have the Iron Dome (missile defense system) and our safe rooms. But knowing that terrorists are walking around communities is a different kind of fear,” said Mirjam Reijnen, a 42-year-old volunteer firefighter and mother of three in Nahal Oz.
World reaction to Hamas attack
- French President Emmanuel Macron: “I strongly condemn the current terrorist attacks against Israel. I express my full solidarity with the victims, their families and loved ones.”
- European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: “I unequivocally condemn the attack carried out by Hamas terrorists against Israel. It is terrorism in its most despicable form. Israel has the right to defend itself against such heinous attacks.”
- U.S. National Security spokesperson Adrienne Watson: “The United States unequivocally condemns the unprovoked attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians.”
Contributing: Associated Press, Francesca Chambers, Joey Garrison
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