Palestinian President Abbas

We Have Right To Defend Ourselves Against Terror: Palestinian President Abbas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas chaired a high-level meeting with some top defence officials on Saturday and said that the Palestinian people have the right to defend themselves against the “terror of settlers and occupation troops”, the official news agency WAFA quoted him as saying.

In the emergency meeting, President Abbas directed officials “to provide protection for the Palestinian people and provide all that is necessary to bolster the resilience and steadfastness of the Palestinian people in facing the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation and settler gangs”, WAFA reported.

As per the WAFA news agency, he also gave directions to provide all that is necessary to bolster the resilience and steadfastness of the Palestinian people in facing the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation and settler gangs.

According to the latest reports, at least 5 people have been killed and over 100 injured in the Hamas rocket fire.

The centre and south of Israel came under heavy rocket fire for over 3.5 hours on Saturday morning, The Times of Israel reported.

“Israel is in an emergency” and Lapid would back a “harsh military response” to Hamas’s coordinated attack, a statement from the Opposition’s leader’s office said.

Earlier today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that hundreds of rockets fired by Hamas terrorists hit Israel today.

“Citizens of Israel, we are at war. Not an operation not an escalation- at war,” Netanyahu said in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter.

“We are at war and we will win,” he asserted in a video statement according to translation provided by Reuters. “Our enemy will pay a price the type of which it has never known,” he added.

The Israeli PM’s statement followed after rockets were launched from Gaza into Israel

Israel Defence Minister Yoav Gallant approved the draft of reserve soldiers in accordance with the Israel Defence Force’s requirements.

He further announced a “special security situation” in Israel’s Homefront, within a 0-80 km radius of the Gaza Strip, The Jerusalem Post reported, adding that this further enabled the IDF to provide civilians with safety instructions at “close and relevant sites”.

The daily reported earlier that after a barrage of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, Hamas fighters infiltrated Israel.

Following the attack, red alert warning sirens were activated in Tel Aviv, located around 70 kilometres from the Gaza Strip, as well as, Sde Boker, Arad, and Dimona in the south.

In his first reaction after Hamas launched a “surprise attack”, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday said Israel “was at war” and has ordered mobilization of reserves to give it back with the magnitude the enemy has not expected, asserting that they will “win it.”

In a video statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Netanyahu stated, “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. I convened the heads of the security establishment and ordered, first of all, to clear out the communities that have been infiltrated by terrorists. This currently is being carried out.”

Netanyahu has ordered the mobilization of reserves. He called on people of Israel to adhere to the directives of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Home Front Command.

“At the same time, I have ordered an extensive mobilization of reserves and that we return fire of a magnitude that the enemy has not known. The enemy will pay an unprecedented price. In the meantime, I call on the citizens of Israel to strictly adhere to the directives of the IDF and Home Front Command. We are at war and we will win it,” Netanyahu said. (ANI)

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Hamas Rocket Fire

Mayor Of Israel Town Killed In Hamas Rocket Fire

The head of the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council, Ofir Liebstein, was killed in the deadly rocket fire from Hamas into Israel on Saturday morning, The Times of Israel reported, citing local sources.

“Ofir was killed when he went to defend a town during the terrorist attack,” the report said, quoting a statement from the Council.

The deputy head of the Council, Yossi Keren, has taken interim charge of the body following Liebstein’s death, The Times of Israel reported.

According to the latest reports, at least 5 people have been killed and over 100 injured in the Hamas rocket fire.

The centre and south of Israel came under heavy rocket fire for over 3.5 hours on Saturday morning, The Times of Israel reported.

Further, Hamas claimed to have kidnapped five Israel Defence Force (IDF) soldiers, The Jerusalem Post reported, adding that the IDF did not confirm the statement.

After the attack, the IDF launched retaliatory strikes on the Gaza Strip.

However, according to The Jerusalem Post, while the IDF launched retaliatory operations in the Gaza Strip, Israeli action remained minimal even two hours after the rocket attacks started.

Israeli media reported that Hamas currently has 33 prisoners of war, including civilians and soldiers.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying that the Security Cabinet would convene around 1pm after assessing the situation, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid is set to meet PM Netanyahu after the security meeting, the report added.

Earlier, Lapid received a security briefing from the Israeli Prime Minister’s military secretary, Avi Gil, following the rocket strikes.

“Israel is in an emergency” and Lapid would back a “harsh military response” to Hamas’s coordinated attack, a statement from the Opposition’s leader’s office said.

Israel Defence Minister Yoav Gallant approved the draft of reserve soldiers in accordance with the IDF’s requirements.

He further announced a “special security situation” in Israel’s Homefront, within a 0-80 km radius of the Gaza Strip, The Jerusalem Post reported, adding that this further enabled the IDF to provide civilians with safety instructions at “close and relevant sites”.

“Hamas is the ruling entity in the Gaza Strip, responsible for this attack, and will bear the consequences and responsibility for the events,” the IDF said.

At least one rocket directly hit a building in the Gederot Regional Council, killing a woman in her 60s, according to a report. (ANI)

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Iraq Iran

Israel: Death Toll From Hamas Rocket Fire Rises To 4

The toll in the Hamas rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Israel climbed to 4 on Saturday, The Times of Israel reported.

The daily reported earlier that after a barrage of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, Hamas fighters infiltrated Israel.

The mayor of Kuseife, Abd al-Aziz Nassara, confirmed the toll, adding that several more have been wounded as the rockets from Gaza rained on the town.

Kuseife, a Bedouin town in southern Israel, is located around 65 kilometres from the Gaza Strip.

According to reports, a woman was killed earlier in the rocket attack and their multiple injuries as well.

Following the attack, red alert warning sirens were activated in Tel Aviv, located around 70 kilometres from the Gaza Strip, as well as, Sde Boker, Arad, and Dimona in the south.

Residents living across these areas heard the massive explosions, according to The Times of Israel.

Meanwhile, Opposition leader Yair Lapid received a security briefing from the Israeli Prime Minister’s military secretary, Avi Gil, following the attack.

“Israel is in an emergency” and Lapid would back a “harsh military response” to Hamas’s coordinated attack, a statement from the Opposition’s leader’s office said.

Apart from the woman, who died of her wounds, the injured included a 52-year-old man from Gederot, who was moderately injured, and a 20-year-old man from Yavne, who also sustained minor injuries. Both victims were transferred to Kaplan Hospital, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The Israel Defense Forces, meanwhile, declared a state of readiness for war following the attack.

“There has been widespread rocket fire into Israeli territory from Gaza, and terrorists have infiltrated Israeli territory through various entry points. Residents in the south and centre of the country are required to be in close proximity to protected areas, and those in the Gaza periphery should remain within a secure space,” the IDF added in its statement.

The IDF said it was carrying out retaliatory airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. The strikes come nearly two hours after Hamas launched a surprise attack, the Israeli daily reported.

The Israel Defense Forces has closed the roads near the Gaza Strip border as Hamas’s rocket fires in Israel, according to The Times of Israel.

The closed roads include, Route 4 from the Zikim junction to Netiv Ha’asara; Route 34 from the Yad Mordechai junction to Nir Am; and Route 232 from Mefalsim to Sa’ad and Nir Yitzhak to Kerem Shalom.

The army said it has also closed all routes used by farmers in the area.

Additionally, the Zikim beach on the Gaza border is also closed off, The Times of Israel reported.

Further, according to the IDF, the trains will not run between Ashkelon and Sderot. (ANI)

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