Hamas Kills 700 Israeli Civilians, 400 Gaza Residents Fall Victim to Retaliation

JAKARTA - Israel launched an assault on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza on Sunday, October 8, 2023, killing hundreds in retaliation for one of its bloodiest attacks in history when Hamas killed 700 Israeli civilians and abducted dozens more.

The rampage by Hamas militants in Israeli cities on Saturday was the deadliest attack since Egypt and Syria's assault in the Yom Kippur War 50 years ago and threatened to spark another conflict in a long-standing dispute.

In response, Israeli airstrikes hit residential blocks, tunnels, mosques, and Hamas officials' homes in Gaza, killing over 400 people, including 20 children, in line with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's vow for "massive retaliation."

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"The price that Gaza will have to pay will be very heavy and will change the reality from generation to generation," Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in the city of Ofakim, which suffered casualties and hostage situations.

Outside the blockaded Gaza Strip, Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah militia from Lebanon exchanged artillery and rocket fire, while in Egypt, two Israeli tourists were shot dead along with a guide.

Calls for restraint came from around the world, although Western nations mostly supported Israel, while Iran, Hezbollah, and protesters in various Middle Eastern countries praised Hamas.

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In southern Israel on Sunday, armed Hamas fighters were still battling Israeli security forces more than 24 hours after their surprise rocket attacks, and a group of armed men stormed military bases and border towns.

"My two little girls, they are still babies. They are not even five years old and three years old," said Yoni Asher, describing a video of Palestinian gunmen capturing his wife and two young daughters after he took them to visit their grandmother.

Uri David said in a press conference that he spent 30 minutes on the phone with his two daughters, Tair and Odaya, during the attack until they stopped responding, and he did not know their fate.

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The Israeli military, criticized for failing to thwart the attacks, said they had retaken most infiltration points along the security barrier, killing hundreds of attackers and detaining dozens more.

The military said they had deployed tens of thousands of troops around Gaza, a narrow strip of land home to 2.3 million Palestinian residents, and began evacuating Israeli residents near the border.

"This is my fifth war. The war must stop. I don't want to keep experiencing this," said Qassab al-Attar, a Palestinian resident in a wheelchair in Gaza, brought to a shelter by his brother.

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Israel has not yet announced an official death toll, but media reports indicate at least 700 people have died, including children. Military spokesperson Daniel Hagari referred to it as the "worst massacre of innocent civilians in Israel's history."

The spokesperson for the White House National Security Council confirmed that some Americans were killed by Hamas attackers and said the U.S. would continue to closely monitor the situation.

This shocking turmoil may undermine U.S.-backed efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia - a security realignment that could jeopardize Palestinian aspirations for self-determination and hinder the main support for Hamas, Iran.

Another major regional ally of Tehran, Lebanon's Hezbollah, fought Israel in 2006 and stated that its "weapons and rockets" supported Hamas.

With the debris of the attacks still strewn across southern cities and border communities on Sunday, Israelis were shaken by the sight of bloodied bodies on the streets, in cars, and even in their homes.

Approximately 30 missing Israeli citizens who were attending an outdoor gathering attacked by armed individuals emerged from hiding on Sunday, Israeli media reported, bringing the death toll from the outdoor meeting to a total of 260 people.

Palestinian fighters have taken dozens of hostages in Gaza, including soldiers and civilians, children, and the elderly. The second Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad, claimed to be holding over 30 hostages.*