In the early hours of Saturday October 7, Hamas attacked Israel in every way, surprising both the military forces and the secret services of the state.
It started at a desert spot where a music festival was taking place, resulting in young people being kidnapped, others killed and tortured. The massacre of the German Sunny Luke made the rounds of the internet.Until this moment, apart from the kidnapped prisoners, there is talk of about 1.100 dead, of which 700 were killed in Israel, while about 413 were killed in the Gaza land. The number is of course uncertain, since developments in the field of violence are continuous. The violence of Hamas groups is rampant and targets civilians without measure.
For its part, Israel immediately reacted belligerently, launching airstrikes at Gaza, promising to level it. At noon on Monday, October 9, he even proceeded to interrupt the electricity supply to the area, the import of food and medicine, fuel, and the water supply network.
The number of wounded is high, on both sides – but in Gaza things are even more difficult due to the lack of electricity and safe hospital conditions, but also due to the lack of medical supplies.
A group of hostages were released on Sunday, while 87 Greek tourists managed to find a flight after very difficult communication to return to Greece. The rest are expected to return, as the pilgrims to the Holy Land numbered around 150.
5.000 reservists of Israeli origin leave Greece on continuous flights to go to their country.
Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his anger, making it clear to his country and to the world, that Israel is officially at war against the vicious Hamas. He even predicted in his speech on the national television network that Israel will pay a high price to win this war. "What happened today has never happened before in Israel and I will make sure it never happens again. The entire government stands behind this decision. The Israeli military will immediately use all its forces to disable Hamas' capabilities. We will beat them to death, we will avenge them for the dark day they have brought upon the State of Israel and its citizens. This war will take time, it will be difficult, days of challenges lie ahead."
For the Israeli government, Gaza is "the city of evil", and thus the war automatically confirmed its religious overtones. Israel's prime minister advised Palestinians to leave their homes because Israeli power will turn them into ruins. In fact, he called the two opposition parties to a meeting, with the aim of forming an emergency coalition government, which has not borne fruit so far.
At the same time, Hamas expresses satisfaction about the turn things have taken. Through the mouth of Mohammed Daif - a Hamas official wanted by Israel - it became known that the operation is called "Operation Al-Aqsa Storm". The satisfaction for Hamas is mainly due to the fact that "the people won back their revolution", and it became clear that this attack was the response to the violence practiced by Israel, and especially to those that happened in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Hamas called on the Palestinians of the eastern side of Jerusalem and the northern part of the country to join them in order to drive out the occupiers and tear down the walls. It was characteristically said that "we will set fire to the earth under the feet of the conquerors."
The president of the Palestinian Authority spoke on the phone with the US Secretary of State, and once again told him that the reason for all this is the injustice that the Palestinian people have suffered for so many years. In fact, it was reported that the escalation of attacks, which the Israeli side also spoke of, is mainly due to the tactics of Israel, which operates as a colonialist, with aggression against Islamic and Christian groups in the region.
One could say that the trigger was the raid by the Israeli police on the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque, an event that filled with rage, not only the Palestinians of the West Bank, but also the Muslims in general. It is a very important sanctuary for the religion of Islam, but at the same time it is also a sanctuary for the Jewish religion.
Hamas said it was supported by other countries such as Iran, hinting that there are more to come in the near future. Especially for Iran, however, a statement of confirmation was also given by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
As expected, upon the first news of the events, the US expressed its opposition to the attack. In fact, the American side advised other countries not to try to get involved or take advantage of the situation that was created. The US president called Israel's belligerent response "self-defense." "Israel has the right to defend itself, period."
Greece, Italy, France, Germany, Britain, Russia, Ukraine, Spain and the central leadership of the EU also condemned the events of extreme violence.
The countries pointing fingers at Israel, on the other hand, are Saudi Arabia and Qatar. They cite continued Israeli violence against the Palestinian people. A similar statement was made by Turkey, which while not openly condemning the attack, on the other hand advises Israel to give more rights to Gaza. In fact, she proposes herself to play the role of mediator in order to de-escalate tensions.
Egypt is in contact with Saudi Arabia and Jordan to handle the situation, stressing that concerted international efforts must be made to decongest the violence. Riyadh, for its part, has made it clear that it condemns violence against civilians.
The latest facts regarding the Israel-Hamas war are as follows:
- The UN Security Council condemned the Hamas attack, but not unanimously. For this reason there is no official statement
- Israeli rockets hit Gaza and Lebanon. The attack that preceded Sunday on the border, leaving Israelis wounded, was previously claimed by the Palestinian Jihad.
