Israel formally declared war with Hamas, the first time the Jewish State has undertaken such a move since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
“Hamas wants to murder us all. This is an enemy that murders children and mothers in their homes, in their beds, an enemy that abducts the elderly, children and young women, that slaughters and massacres our citizens, including children, who simply went out to enjoy the holiday,” Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu released in a public message on X, the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“What happened today is unprecedented in Israel — and I will see to it that it does not happen again. The entire government is behind this decision. The IDF will immediately use all its strength to destroy Hamas’s capabilities. We will destroy them and we will forcefully avenge this dark day that they have forced on the State of Israel and its citizens.
“As Bialik wrote: ‘Revenge for the blood of a little child has yet been devised by Satan’. All of the places which Hamas is deployed, hiding and operating in, that wicked city, we will turn them into rubble. I say to the residents of Gaza: Leave now because we will operate forcefully everywhere.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
"Citizens of Israel,
We are at war, not in an operation or in rounds, but at war. This morning, Hamas launched a murderous surprise attack against the State of Israel and its citizens. We have been in this since the early morning hours. pic.twitter.com/C7YQUviItR— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) October 7, 2023
The announcement coincided with a statement from a Hamas spokesman confirming that Iran provided support ahead of the terrorist group’s surprise assault on Israel early Saturday morning.
The admission comes as ZAKA, a volunteer outfit assisting the state with dead bodies, acknowledged that over 600 Israelis have been killed so far. That number is expected to rise, with over 2,000 wounded thus far.
Credible sources are now reporting that upwards of 100 Israelis, including Thai nationals, were kidnapped during the raid and forcibly taken across the border back into the Gaza Strip. “These are the faces of just a few of the Israelis kidnapped and held by Hamas in Gaza,” Aviva Klompas, a former speechwriter for the Israeli mission to the United Nations wrote on Sunday morning.
These are the faces of just a few of the Israelis kidnapped and held by Hamas in Gaza. They took mothers with babies in their arms. It is an evil savagery that has no words.
Hamas is believed to be holding over than 100 Israelis – children, teens, entire families, and even the… pic.twitter.com/sIw5N0kyAp
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) October 8, 2023
“They took mothers with babies in their arms. It is an evil savagery that has no words. Hamas is believed to be holding over than 100 Israelis — children, teens, entire families, and even the elderly. Every human rights organization. Every leader in a position of authority. Every government that stands for freedom. Every person of conscious must demand Hamas release our civilians.”