JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israeli authorities confirmed Saturday evening that at least 600 people were killed and dozens of others were captured in a shock offensive by Hamas on southern and central Israel. The Health Ministry reports that in the attacks- which included over 3000 missiles on all of southern Israel, 1,452 people have been injured. 18 are in critical condition, 267 in serious condition, 279 in moderate condition, 636 in light condition, 16 suffering from panic attacks and another 169 under medical review.
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During the course of the attacks, armed Palestinians who crossed the border managed to overwhelm several Israeli communities and military bases along the border, which have stayed under their control for hours. Dozens of Israeli civilians were believed to be held captive in Kibbutz Be’eri. Israeli forces poured into the conflict zones and engaged the terrorists.
Dozens of Israeli captives – including numerous women, children and elders – are believed to have been taken into the Gaza Strip.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the United States would work to ensure that Israel “has what it needs to defend itself”.
“Over the coming days the Department of Defense will work to ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself and protect civilians from indiscriminate violence and terrorism,” Austin said in a statement.
The European Union’s head of foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, said is an X post, “We follow with anguish the news coming from Israel. We unequivocally condemn the attacks by Hamas. This horrific violence must stop immediately. Terrorism and violence solve nothing. The EU expresses its solidarity with Israel in these difficult moments”.
NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoana told Ynet that, “I was just in Israel a few weeks ago, working to bring the NATO-Israel partnership to new heights. Today, I mourn with our Israeli friends, and stand in complete solidarity with Israel in the face of these horrendous acts of terrorism.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported that so far 198 people have been killed and 1,610 have been injured in IDF strikes on the Gaza Strip.
something seriously wrong in the IDF. They should have been alerted, seen the fence being torn down, where were the soldiers? what were the commanders doing? dancing? sleeping? one thing they were NOT doing was watching the border.
Heads in the IDF are going to roll. The government might even fall. Remains to see what remains.
Idf has been sleeping and complacent, in 2023 with the amount of technology they have there should be no surprise attack