Soon after the armed wing of Palestinian group Hamas claimed it was behind the attack on Israel, and had launched more than 5,000 rockets, the Israel Defence Forces vowed to retaliate and declared that it was not just an escalation but the country was now ‘in a state of war’. Pointing out that the sudden attack which did not spare civilians had been funded for by Iran, the former spokesperson of Israel Defence Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said, “This attack by Hamas, which is funded and provided by Iran with its weapons and personnel, equipment and money, is definitely one bridge too far, one attack too many.” “…We still don’t have confirmed information about the scope of the attacks, but we only know that it is unprecedented and severe. Once this happens by an Iranian proxy, then this isn’t a routine event. This isn’t something that we can respond with how we usually respond by attacking military targets from the air inside the Gaza Strip. We are talking about a whole different situation, and the Israeli response will have to be different.,” he said hinting that Israel may not leave Iran out of the ambit of the conflict and its response to the Saturday morning attack will be different and deadly. Meanwhile, Israeli air raids have hit the Gaza Strip after Hamas announced the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel. The group running the besieged enclave says it has fired thousands of rockets towards Israel. Several casualties have so far been reported. Israeli military radio also reported that Palestinian fighters from Gaza have “infiltrated” Israel. Visuals emerging from the conflict zone show armed men on vehicles inside Israel; there is also unverified footage of Palestinian fighters taking Israeli citizens hostage, all pointing to the severity of the attack and indicating that Israel’s retaliatory steps will not be meek. Reports have also emerged claiming that the Israeli defence minister has approved the call-up of military reservists.
Israeli air raids have hit the Gaza Strip after Hamas announced the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel. The group running the besieged enclave says it has fired thousands of rockets towards Israel. Several casualties have so far been reported prompting Israel to declare ‘a state of war
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