In pics | Israel witnesses deadliest day of violence in 50 years amid Hamas attack

More than 400 people have been killed while thousands of others have been injured, in Gaza and Israel after Palestinian Islamist group Hamas took Israel by surprise on Saturday (Oct 7) marking the deadliest day of violence in Israel since the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said the assault that had begun in Gaza would spread to the West Bank and Jerusalem. “This was the morning of defeat and humiliation upon our enemy, its soldiers and its settlers,” said the militant group leader. 

He added, “What happened reveals the greatness of our preparation. What happened today reveals the weakness of the enemy.” 

Image shows Palestinian militants riding an Israeli military vehicle that was seized by gunmen who infiltrated areas of southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

The Palestinian militant group launched over 5,000 rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel, marking the commencement of “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” prompting sirens to wail across Israel's southern and central regions.

The group expressed its intent to halt what it referred to as Israel's unaccountable actions and stated, "We declare Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, and within the initial 20-minute strike, we fired more than 5,000 rockets."

However, Israel said more than 3,000 rockets had been fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel.

The Israeli media has reported that as many as 150 rockets fired into central Israel including the country’s major city of Tel Aviv, as of Saturday evening. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the country was “at war” and swore fierce counterattack. 

Netanyahu, in his first remarks after the attack, said, “Citizens of Israel, we are at war...” He also went on to outline a plan and called on the citizens to unite and achieve victory in the war. Israel has since called up reservists for an ongoing operation called “Swords of Iron”.

Addressing the nation, the Israeli PM in the evening called today’s events something “never before seen in Israel,” he vows to ensure “it will never happen again.” He also vowed to use “all the power” of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to destroy Hamas’ capabilities.

Addressing the “residents of Gaza” Netanyahu said, “get out now because we will operate everywhere with full force.” This “black day” will be “avenged,” said the Israeli PM. 

Image shows smoke and flames billowing after Israeli forces struck a high-rise tower in Gaza City, October 7, 2023

Israeli forces said that they are fighting Gaza militants who entered Israel by land, sea and air using paragliders following a barrage of rockets was fired at Israel and reported 22 active locations inside the country where Israeli troops were still battling “hundreds” of Palestinian militants, adding that the Hamas attack included a “robust ground invasion”. 

In southern Israel, near Gaza, Reuters reported that bodies of Israeli civilians lay strewn across a highway in Sderot. “I saw many bodies, of terrorists and civilians,” one man who gave his name as Shlomi told AFP in southern Israel. 

Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri told Al Jazeera that they are holding a large number of Israeli captives, including senior officials and said that they had enough captives to make Israel free all Palestinians in its jails. 

The Israeli military has since confirmed Israelis were being held captive in Gaza and soldiers and officers had been killed. Hecht reported a “severe hostage situation in Beeri and also in Ofakim” two Israeli communities near the Gaza border. 

The military said that the country could mobilise up to hundreds of thousands of reservists and was also prepared for war on its northern front against Lebanon’s Hezbollah group.

Image shows a man running on a road as fire burns after rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, Israel October 7, 2023.

Hamas has long advocated for Israel’s destruction and fought four wars against Israel since 2007 after it seized control of Gaza in 2007. 

The attack on Saturday came as a surprise to Israel’s security forces making it one of the worst intelligence failures in the country’s history. 

Israel’s ambassador to France Raphael Morav in an interview said that the country was not “sufficiently prepared” for the attack. “Following this surprise, we were not sufficiently prepared for it, we could even say barely prepared.” 

Image shows a salvo of rockets is fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza City toward Israel on October 7, 2023. 

Israeli media report citing the country’s health ministry and emergency services said that at least 200 people have been killed as of 9:30 pm (local time), and over 1,425 others have been injured and taken to hospitals. 

In Gaza, images show orange flames and black smoke in the evening sky after Israel launched its retaliatory strike, while on the ground, crowds of mourners were seen carrying bodies of militants killed through the streets, wrapped in green Hamas flags.

At least 232 Palestinians were killed and over 1,600 were wounded in Gaza, said the Palestinian health ministry after Israel responded with air strikes. 

Image shows fire and smoke rising above buildings during an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on October 8, 2023.

An Israeli woman identified as Dorin told Israel N12 News that the militants had infiltrated her house. “They just came in again, please send help!” an Israeli woman who was sheltering with her two-year-old child in a bomb shelter pleaded. 

"I went out, I saw loads of bodies of terrorists, civilians, cars shot up. A sea of bodies, inside Sderot along the road, other places, loads of bodies," said Shlomi from Sderot, as quoted by Reuters. 

Esther Borochov, who fled a dance rave party attacked by the gunmen, told Reuters she survived by playing dead in a car after the driver trying to help her escape was shot point blank. "I couldn't move my legs," she told Reuters at the hospital. "Soldiers came and took us away to the bushes."

Image shows building ablaze following rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel October 7, 2023.

Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's senior adviser, on Saturday (Oct 7), extended support for the attack launched by Hamas on Israel and termed it a "proud operation".

"We support the proud Operation Al-Aqsa Flood," Yahya Rahim Safavi said using the codename for the operation announced by Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

"We support this operation, and we are sure that the resistance front also supports this issue," added Safavi, a Revolutionary Guards general, in comments reported by the ISNA news agency. 

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani also congratulated Palestinian extremists and hailed the attack. "Today's operation marked a new page in the field of resistance and armed operations against the occupiers," he said. 

"The resistance has so far achieved brilliant victories during this operation, and this is a bright spot in the history of the Palestinian people's struggle against the Zionists."

Image shows Iranians attending a gathering in Tehran on October 7, 2023, to express their solidarity with Palestine after Hamas militants' attack on Israel. 

The attack has also drawn some mixed reactions from across the world, where most Western countries, Ukraine and India have condemned the attacks on Israel and expressed solidarity with the Israelis. Additionally, countries like United States and Italy have also ramped up security to protect the Jewish community in the country.

Image shows Germany's iconic Brandenburg Gate lit up with the Israeli flag on October 7, 2023. This comes after German officials including expressed solidarity with Israel. 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, "We are deeply shocked by the rocket fire from Gaza and the escalating violence. Germany condemns these attacks by Hamas and stands by Israel."