Israel Attack
The “worst massacre of Israeli civilians” by Hamas resulted in up to 2,300 wounded and more than 700 fatalities, according to Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Hamas launched a “surprise attack” on Israel on October 7 (Saturday), launching a barrage of rockets into the southern and central regions of the nation. This marked a significant escalation in the conflict.
Worst massacre of Israel
“What we witnessed two days ago is the worst massacre of Israeli civilians in Israel’s history…This is something that we have never experienced before and the horrors that we have witnessed are almost hard to describe in words…,” Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Major Libby Weiss said here on Monday night
According to a report from Lieutenant Colonel (Reserves) Jonathan Conricus, over 700 people have perished and up to 2,300 people have been injured. He also thought that there might be more casualties.
Iran backing Hamas in attack on Israel
Eli Cohen, the Israeli foreign minister, and Lior Haiat, the spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were present at a virtual press conference that IDF spokesperson Major Weiss spoke at on Monday night (IST).
She also criticized Iran for aiding Hamas and being a “supporter of Hamas” in its activities. “We know historically Iran has been a very strong supporter of Hamas…Naturally, we do believe that Iran plays a role in the actions Hamas is carrying out…,” she added.
Major Weiss stated that not much can be spoken about IDF plans for the release of captives but added that they are dedicated to returning hostages to their families.
“…For obvious reasons, we can’t at this stage elaborate too much about IDF plans or anything along those lines…We are committed & dedicated to bringing the hostages home regardless of what country they came from…,” said Major Weiss. Lior Haiat, a spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, previously made the claim that Iran is the primary financier of the Middle Eastern terrorist organizations in an interview.
Also Read: Israel Announces “Total Blockade” On Gaza, Food-Fuel-Electricity To Be Banned
Israelis held hostage in Gaza
LTC (Res.) Conricus claims that Islamic Jihad and Hamas are holding “dozens of Israelis” hostage in Gaza. In addition, he said that hostages had been abducted, including citizens, women, children, elders, and even the crippled. They were returned to Gaza and paraded through the city.
On the hostage issue, Israel’s Foreign Minister Cohen said, “I want to assure you that we will defeat the devil because we have no other choice. There are many Israelis and others from different nationalities who have been held hostage. We are committed to bringing them back in the spirit of mutual responsibility. We demand the Hamas not to harm any of the hostages…”
– Israel has deployed 3,000 troops in the previous 48 hours as part of its response to Hamas. Informing the public about the mobilization, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that the IDF “has never mobilized so many reservists so quickly — 300,000 reservists in 48 hours.”
According to the Times of Israel, this is the biggest mobilization since Israel called up 400,000 reserve personnel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. In a related event, the Israeli military has also sent troops to fight what they believe to be a Lebanese infiltration. The IDF kept up its attacks in the meantime, hitting what the military claimed were Hamas terrorist organization objectives.
