Israel is under attack
(Credit: ynet and News Act)
New information was beginning to come to light on the Hamas attack on Saturday, including on eight military bases and outposts along the Gaza border.
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Israeli officials estimate at least 600 people were murdered by the Hamas terrorists and over 2,000 were injured while approximately 100 people including children and IDF soldiers, were abducted and taken into the Gaza Strip.
In the attack, the terrorists destroyed weapons and communication systems and set observation posts on fire. The damage to the communication systems disrupted the ability to effectively communicate with troops in the area and likely enabled more terrorists to enter Israel through the Gaza barrier. Civilian residents of the Strip also crossed undisturbed into Israeli territory.
The attack began with a heavy barrage of rockets at cities in the south and center of Israel including Tel Aviv and its surrounding areas, which was used as cover for terrorists to infiltrate on land, by air using gliders, and from the sea.
The first wave included an attack on the Erez Junction, which was destroyed. From there, gates along the border were opened to allow vehicles to enter from Gaza and cross the fields into Israeli communities.
The outpost at Nahal Oz was similarly invaded, and more terrorists crossed at two other points along the border, including from tunnels that led them close to the barrier. They detonated explosive devices to remove fences and gates without any opposition as they entered Israeli communities close to the border.
At that point, the IDF Gaza battalion had lost all control, faced with hundreds of Palestinians, some not even armed, spontaneously swarming the civilian communities and abducting residents back to Gaza.
Despite desperate calls from terrified residents of the south, hours passed before the IDF forces arrived to fight the terrorists who had taken many of them hostage and free the communities. Fighting in some areas continued on Sunday.
In a statement, the military spokesperson General Daniel Hagari said that hundreds of terrorists were killed, and dozens were captured by the troops in the heroic battles to free the hostages.
Residents of those communities were asked by the IDF, to evacuate from their homes, to allow the forces to conduct extensive searches to locate any terrorists who may still be in Israeli territory and able to strike.