Israel: Mayor among 22 killed in Hamas rocket attacks
At least 22 people, including the mayor of Israel's Sha'ar Hanegev region, Ofir Libstein, have reportedly been killed in rocket attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Over 500 people have also been wounded in the strikes, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, Israel announced "Operation Iron Swords" in retaliation and launched air strikes on locations linked to Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Over 500 people injured, many of them critical: Reports
More than 500 people have reportedly been wounded in the ongoing attack. Many of them are seriously or critically wounded. Mayor Libstein was reportedly killed during an "exchange of fire with terrorists," per an official statement. Israel declared a "state of war" on Saturday after Hamas reportedly fired a barrage of rockets toward Israel as part of "Operation Al Aqsa Flood" against Israel.
Hamas 'made grave mistake' by attacking Israel: Defence minister
Israel announced "Operation Iron Swords" against Hamas militants after declaring a "state of war." After a security cabinet meeting at the Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, stated that Hamas had "made a grave mistake" by launching the attack. He said that the Palestinian militant group has started a war and asserted that "Israel will win."
Operation in response to atrocities faced by Palestinians: Hamas spokesperson
Hamas Spokesperson Khaled Qadomi told Al Jazeera that the group's military operation is in response to the atrocities faced by Palestinians over the decades. "We want the international community to stop atrocities in Gaza, against people of Palestine, our holy sites like Al-Aqsa," he said. He also denied taking any Israeli hostage. "They are prisoners of war," he said.
Global condemnations against Hamas attacks
Several countries have condemned the attack. The United Kingdom Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, said the UK "unequivocally condemns" the surprise attack by Hamas on Israeli soil. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also "firmly condemns" the attacks against Israel, while Ukraine and Italy reportedly backed "Israel's right to defend itself" against the attack. Reportedly, over 5,000 rockets were fired toward Israel within just 30 minutes.
