"Israel Strikes Gaza After Hamas Attack"

 "Israel Strikes Gaza After Hamas Attack"

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"Biden: Israelis Have Right to Defend Amid 300+ Palestinian, 250+ Israeli Deaths"

"Israel Wakes to Horror as Hamas Strikes, Hundreds Dead, Abducts Hostages into Gaza, Escalating Conflict, Possible Spread to Lebanon"

"Israeli Airstrikes Decimate Gaza, Over 300 Palestinian Casualties, Netanyahu Promises 'Mighty Vengeance'

In a devastating overnight assault, Israeli air strikes pummeled Gaza, resulting in the deaths of over 300 Palestinians and the destruction of numerous buildings, tunnels, and the residences of Hamas officials. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to exact 'mighty vengeance for this wicked day.'

In southern Israel, Hamas fighters continued to engage Israeli security forces in various locations, 24 hours after their incursion in the early hours of Saturday. This ongoing conflict prompted both sides to acknowledge sustained clashes, and Gaza responded with more rocket launches, triggering air raid sirens.

During a briefing with reporters, a military spokesperson emphasized their commitment to a relentless offensive against Hamas, signaling that this would be a protracted and challenging campaign

"Palestinians Survey Devastation: Mosque Destroyed in Israeli Strikes

Khan Younis, Southern Gaza Strip, October 8, 2023 - In the wake of Israeli airstrikes, Palestinians inspect a mosque in Khan Younis, which lay in ruins. The conflict raged on as jets resumed strikes in the morning, and Israeli troops conducted clearing operations in the blockaded Gaza Strip. This included efforts to regain control of a military base in the Zikim area, overrun by Hamas fighters on Saturday.

The situation showed signs of further escalation as Israeli artillery responded to mortar fire from Lebanon, and drone strikes targeted a post of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia along Israel's northern border. Despite these developments, Israel's army spokesperson expressed doubt about Hezbollah's involvement, saying, 'We recommend Hezbollah not to come into this, and I don't think they will.'

The surprise Hamas attack marked the largest incursion into Israel and the deadliest day since Egypt and Syria launched a sudden assault during the Yom Kippur War 50 years ago, aiming to reclaim lost territory.

The intensifying conflict threatens U.S.-backed efforts to broker normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a regional security shift that could jeopardize Palestinian statehood aspirations and the interests of Hamas's primary supporter, Iran.

The Hamas fighters initiated their assault at dawn on Saturday with a massive rocket barrage into southern Israel, providing cover for an unprecedented, multi-pronged infiltration into Israel from Gaza, a narrow strip housing 2.3 million Palestinians.

Throughout Saturday and into Sunday, gunmen clashed with Israeli forces, resulting in the deaths of at least 250 Israelis. They also escaped back into Gaza with numerous hostages. Israel's retaliatory strikes on Gaza proved devastating, claiming the lives of over 300 Gazans.

An Israeli military spokesperson reported ongoing operations in eight areas around Gaza on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Red Crescent stated that Israeli targeting resulted in the deaths of 18 people in two homes in Gaza's Beit Hanoun district."

"Smoke and Flames Engulf Gaza City as Israeli Strike Hits High-Rise Tower

Gaza City, October 7, 2023 - The aftermath of an Israeli airstrike on a high-rise tower in Gaza City, captured in a photo by REUTERS, shows billowing smoke and flames. Palestinian health officials reported that among the casualties, at least 20 children were counted among the 313 civilians killed, with nearly 2,000 people wounded.

In the north, Hezbollah released a statement claiming responsibility for a rocket and artillery attack on three posts, including a "radar site," located in the Shebaa Farms. This disputed piece of land has been occupied by Israel since 1967, but Lebanon asserts its ownership. In response, Israel launched artillery fire on southern Lebanon, with no immediate reports of casualties.

This escalation unfolds amid a backdrop of escalating violence between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. In this region, a Palestinian authority exercises limited self-rule, a stance opposed by Hamas, which seeks the destruction of Israel.

The West Bank has witnessed an increase in Israeli raids, Palestinian street attacks, and assaults by Jewish settlers on Palestinian villages. Conditions for Palestinians have deteriorated under the hard-right government of Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the prospects for peacemaking have remained stalled for years.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh declared that the assault that began in Gaza would extend to the West Bank and Jerusalem, emphasizing threats to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, the ongoing Israeli blockade of Gaza, and Israel's normalization of relations with countries in the region.

In a speech, Haniyeh underscored the enduring plight of the Palestinian people, stating, 'How many times have we warned you that the Palestinian people have been living in refugee camps for 75 years, and you refuse to recognize the rights of our people?'

The streets of Sderot in southern Israel, near Gaza, were littered with the bodies of Israeli civilians amidst broken glass in the aftermath of Saturday's assault. The tragic scene included the lifeless forms of a man and a woman sprawled across the front seats of a car. Terrified Israelis, sheltered in safe rooms, shared their harrowing experiences via phone on live television."