The Palestinian militant group Hamas launched unprecedented terror attack on Israel, which has included the firing of thousands of rockets onto the Israel and the infiltration of Israeli territory by land, air, and sea. Responding to the surprise attack Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that the nation is “at war” and the terrorists “will pay a price it has never known before.” Thus far, the attacks in Israel have reportedly left 100 people dead and nearly 1000 wounded. Hamas claims it has captured Israel Defense Force soldiers and civilians during its assault on Israeli border towns outside Gaza. Israel’s military response–“Operation Sword of Iron”– has led to the deaths of 198 Palestinians and 1,610 people injured.
Israel right now. pic.twitter.com/zEWSwHIPSj
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 7, 2023
Stay tuned to Breitbart News for live updates. All times eastern.
11:45 A.M. — Florida Governor and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis issues a statement condemning Hamas’s terror attack on Israel and criticizes President Joe Biden’s policy toward Iran, a key funder of the Palestinian terror organization.
“Israel is now under attack by Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists. Iran has helped fund this war against Israel and Joe Biden’s policies that have gone easy on Iran have helped fill their coffers.” Desantis wrote on social media. “We are going to stand with Israel as they root out Hamas and we need to stand up to Iran.”
Israel is now under attack by Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists. Iran has helped fund this war against Israel and Joe Biden’s policies that have gone easy on Iran have helped fill their coffers.
We are going to stand with Israel as they root out Hamas and we need to stand up to… pic.twitter.com/FENQtAxiDE
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) October 7, 2023
11:40 A.M. — Yahya Rahim Safavi, who serves as a top adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, lauds Hamas’s terror attack on Israel.
“We congratulate the Palestinian fighters,” Safavi says, according to Reuters. “We will stand by the Palestinian fighters until the liberation of Palestine and Jerusalem.”
11:35 A.M. — Israeli police officers rush to evacuate a woman and a child as rockets rain down on the city of Ashkelon. The photo was captured by Tsafrir Abayov of the Associated Press.
Police officers evacuate a woman and a child from a site hit by a rocket in Ashkelon, Israel.
📷 Tsafrir Abayov / AP https://t.co/DX4182zc3y pic.twitter.com/5nG2YceOkw
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 7, 2023
11:29 A.M. — President Joe Biden issues a statement condemning Hamas’s terror attack on Israel.
“The United States unequivocally condemns this appalling assault against Israel by Hamas terrorists from Gaza, and I made clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu that we stand ready to offer all appropriate means of support to the Government and people of Israel,” Biden says.
“Israel has a right to defend itself and its people,” the president adds. “My Administration’s support for Israel’s security is rock solid and unwavering. My team and I are tracking this situation closely, and I will remain in close touch with Prime Minister Netanyahu.”
Biden has acted frostily towards Netanyahu since the Israeli prime minister returned to power in November. They two world leaders finally met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month. During the sit-down, Biden offered a long-awaited White House visit by the year’s end.
🇱🇺🇸 Today, I had the honor of meeting with US President Joe Biden, a friend for over 40 years. We discussed the immense potential of an economic corridor linking Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, with Israel as a pivotal hub.
We share a vision: a historic peace between Israel… pic.twitter.com/FsEtp5Sk8z
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) September 20, 2023
11:25 A.M. — At least 985 people have been hospitalized in connection to Hamas’s terror attack on Israel, according to the Jewish state’s Health Ministry.
11:19 A.M. — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issues another statement outlining Israel’s key objectives in its fight against Hamas.
“Our first objective is to clear out the hostile forces that infiltrated our territory and restore the security and quiet to the communities that have been attacked,” Netanyahu says.
“The second objective, at the same time, is to exact an immense price from the enemy, within the Gaza Strip as well,” the prime minister continues.
“The third objective is to reinforce other fronts so that nobody should mistakenly join this war. We are at war. In war, one needs to be level-headed. I call on all citizens of Israel to unite in order to achieve our highest goal – victory in the war,” he added.
Since this morning, the State of Israel has been at war. Our first objective is to clear out the hostile forces that infiltrated our territory and restore the security and quiet to the communities that have been attacked.
The second objective, at the same time, is to exact an… pic.twitter.com/MzKs7tfv4M
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 7, 2023
11:07 A.M. — An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson hopes all Hamas terrorists that infiltrated Israel will be neutralized within the next 24 hours.
“We are very much focused on saving forces, where there is ongoing fighting as we speak and handling these terrorists, hopefully by the end of the day there will be no more live terrorists inside Israel,” Richard Hecht tells CNN.
“We are fully deployed and focused on air coverage to see what is happening, we deployed forces to the infiltration points and again we are slowly securing the area and trying to take care of all these people that came in,” Hecht continues.
Hecht also notes that Israel stands ready to defend itself against possible attacks from Lebanon and Syria.
“We are ready in the north [in] case there is some Palestinian faction, in case they decide to come into it we will be ready, something we are looking at and we are ready for it,” he tells the news outlet.
11:02 A.M. — Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, who serves as Israeli military’s top liaison to the Palestinians, says Hamas has “opened the gates of hell” due to its deadly attack.
”I want to say one thing — Hamas has opened the gates of hell into the Gaza Strip. Hamas made the decision, and Hamas will bear the responsibility and pay for its deeds,” Alian says.
10:57 A.M. — President Joe Biden and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone on Saturday, according to CNN. The Israeli government released a statement revealing that Biden phoned Netanyahu and affirmed his support for the Jewish state in the face of the unprecedented terror attack.
The statement reads: “US President Joe Biden called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and emphasized that the US stands by Israel and fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself. The Prime Minister thanked the US President for his unreserved support and made it clear that a prolonged and powerful campaign would be required in which Israel would win.”
10:46 A.M. — Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari confirms that terror attacks are still ongoing in 22 locations. Hostage situations are unfolding in Kibbutz Be’eri and the city of Ofakim. Additionally, heavy gun fire between Israel troops and Hamas terrorists have led to multiple injuries, according to the Times of Israel via Channel 12.
עשר שעות בדיוק לתחילת הלחימה וחילופי אש כבדים עדיין נמשכים בשדרות באזור תחנת המשטרה. עכשיו עוד כח צבאי נכנס לאזור. בסמוך רכב המחבלים עם מקלע כבד שעדיין לא נפרק pic.twitter.com/EbMj38B0mm
— Bar Peleg (@bar_peleg) October 7, 2023
10:44 A.M. —Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin says the U.S. will ensure that Israel has the tools to defend itself against Hamas.
“Over the coming days the department of defence will work to ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself and protect civilians from indiscriminate violence and terrorism,” Austin stated.
10:38 A.M. — Hamas has taken a number of Israelis as hostages to the Gaza Strip, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces confirms. The spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, also confirms that Israeli Defense Force soldiers have been killed in the terror attack.
“There are hostages and prisoners of war that Hamas took. There are also deaths among IDF soldiers. We don’t have an exact number yet – we are at war” Hagari says.
10:00 A.M. — Former President Donald Trump issues a statement on Hamas’s terror attack on Israel, describing the deadly assault as a “disgrace” and suggests U.S. taxpayer dollars helped contributed to the shocking events.
“Sadly, American taxpayer dollars helped fund these attacks, which many reports are saying came from the Biden Administration,” Trump said.
“We brought so much peace to the Middle East through the Abraham Accords, only to see Biden whittle it away at a far more rapid pace than anyone thought possible. Here we go again,” the former president continued.
Israel “has every right to defend itself with overwhelming force,” he added.
