After the attacks by Hamas militants on Saturday, Israeli forces spent the last few hours trying to prevent possible further advances while calculating the hostage rescue effort.
More than 100 people were taken from Israel to Gaza. Different nationalities include North Americans, Spanish and Germans. So far, PÚBLICO has not been able to confirm the presence of Portuguese among the hostages.
Israeli reaction: “We thought we would be in a better position this morning”
This Monday, on the Gaza border in southern Israel, there were more clashes between Israeli soldiers and fighters from the Hamas group. However, according to the newspaper The New York TimesIsraeli military officials gained control of the entire region by the end of the morning, and there are reports of at least six spots where fighting is still taking place.
Israeli officials announced that “more than 500 targets” of Gaza’s ruling Islamist group Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad were hit by airstrikes and artillery strikes in the Gaza Strip early Monday.
Richard Hecht of the Israeli military acknowledged that the situation “will take longer than expected to adopt a defensive and defensive posture”. “We are still struggling,” he admitted at a press conference. “Thought we’d be in good shape this morning”, lamented the steward.
Israeli authorities are trying to rescue the hostages and evacuate the local population
On Sunday, Hamas confirmed the capture of more than 100 people. The group’s aim will be to pressure the Israeli authorities to release Palestinians in Israeli prisons. Apart from local citizens, several embassies have confirmed that the hostages include nationals, namely the United States, Germany and Spain.
REUTERS/Ammar Awad
At the same time, Israeli authorities evacuated many people from 24 locations near the border with Gaza. According to security experts, the decision could herald a more muscular advance by the military in the coming hours. Over the weekend, tanks and other military equipment were transported to the Gaza border with Israel.
A party turned horror experience
More than 250 bodies were found on the grounds of a music festival Trans It happened in the Negev desert in the Israeli territory next to the Gaza Strip. After the ceremony was held Kibbutz Raim was one of the targets of a ground incursion by hundreds of fighters from the radical Palestinian movement Hamas.
The outdoor party began on Friday night and lasted until Saturday morning, all interrupted by volleys fired by Hamas fighters.
“Suddenly, they appear out of nowhere and start shooting in all directions,” one survivor of the attack told Israeli Channel 12 Ortel. “Fifty terrorists came in vans in army uniform. They fired bombs and we started running,” he said.
Unexpected attack by land, air and sea
On Saturday, from Gaza, the Palestinian group Hamas breached Israeli-imposed security restrictions and launched a surprise attack on occupied villages and towns across southern Israel. They arrived by land, by sea and by air, with elements of Hamas paragliding into Israeli soil. They managed to kidnap dozens of Israeli civilians and soldiers. The land advance ran into thousands Rockets They were fired at Israeli targets.
In response to the Islamist group’s attack, Israel declared war, promising an unprecedented response. Between Israeli soldiers, Hamas fighters and civilians, at least 500 people would have died in the first twenty-four hours.
EPA/HAITHAM IMAD