“We declare Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and we fired more than 5,000 rockets in the first 20-minute attack.” Israel’s military said its forces were fighting Palestinian militants on the ground in several locations near the Strip. It named its operations “Swords of Iron”.
Army spokesman Richard Hecht said the militants launched a combined attack “which took place via paraglider, via sea and via land.” Officials said at least two people were killed in Israel.
“They are shooting at our house. They are trying to break down the door of the safe room,” said a woman sheltering with her two-year-old child, while her husband and other residents took to the streets of Kibbutz Sufa. Were fighting terrorists. According to Israeli media.
“Please send help,” she cried, according to reports. Hamas later released a video showing three people captured by its fighters.
Terrorist infiltrations from Gaza, an impoverished enclave of 2.3 million people, have become rare since Hamas took control in 2007, leading to Israel’s blockade. Gaza is separated from Israel by a militarized border barrier.
The rocket barrage from Gaza – which Hecht said numbered at least 2,200 – burned cars beneath residential buildings in the Israeli city of Ashkelon, about 10 kilometers (six miles) north of Gaza.