At least 40 people have been killed in Israel after a major surprise attack involving militants who crossed into Israel from Gaza amid heavy rocket fire. Several Israelis were reportedly taken hostage. Israel retaliated with airstrikes on Gaza targets that killed 161 people Palestinian officials say.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was "at war" and vowed that Gaza's rulers, Hamas, would pay "a price it has never known". "This morning Hamas launched a murderous attack against the State of Israel and its citizens," he said in a video speech.
It is one of the most serious escalations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in years. Fighters were seen crossing the surrounding fence after dawn ahead of an attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. At the same time, a large barrage of rockets was launched from Gaza. Some of the 1,000 rockets hit Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, some breaching air defenses.
It is not clear how the gunmen were able to penetrate the world's strongest borders. The Israeli military said dozens of warplanes were carrying out airstrikes on Hamas sites in Gaza and struck 17 Hamas military compounds. They also informed that tens of thousands of reservists have been mobilized. The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced that 161 people were killed in the Israeli attack.
The attack, which used rocket barrages from Gaza, was considered the biggest attack by Hamas against Israel in years. The attack began just after dawn on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath and Simchat Torah festival. As sirens blared across Israel, the IDF announced that "terrorists" had infiltrated Israeli territory at "several locations."
Civilians in the southern and central areas are being told to stay near shelters and inside shelters in the area around Gaza. Footage posted online appeared to show a group of heavily armed Palestinian militants dressed in black driving around Sderot in a pick-up truck. A video showed the same militants exchanging fire with Israeli forces on the streets of the town, just 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) from Gaza.
There are also unconfirmed reports in the Palestinian media that several Israelis have been taken hostage by the militants. Hamas released videos on its social media channels showing the capture by Israeli fighters. In some unverified videos, civilians are seen being taken hostage into Palestinian territory. In addition, some footage shows Palestinians in Gaza driving Israeli military vehicles.
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