Palestinian resistance factions from the Gaza Strip have taken control of over a dozen illegal settlements in southern Israel as part of ‘Operation Al-Aqsa Floods,’ which has been raging since the early hours of 7 October.
Fighters from Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) say they hold at least 50 prisoners of war (POW) after overrunning many Israeli checkpoints and neighborhoods. Israeli media says the death toll from the operation has reached 100, with close to 1,000 injured.
In describing the operation, Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri told Al Jazeera: “We managed to kill and capture many Israeli soldiers. The fighting is still on. As to our prisoners, I say, your freedom is looming large. What we have in hand will see you set free. The longer fighting continues, the higher the number of prisoners will become.”
Footage across social media has shown the extent of the resistance's advance, as Israeli soldiers lay dead in many streets while settlers had to run for their lives or surrender to the armed groups.
The moment Palestinian resistance captured Israeli soldiers from inside a Merkava tank. pic.twitter.com/4AvC9AjYoo
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) October 7, 2023
Among those captured is Israeli General Nimrod Aloni, the commander of the Depth Corps, a unit that coordinates the army's long-range operations “deep in enemy territory.”
Israeli Army General, Nimrod Aloni, has been captured by Palestinian resistance as part of 'Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.' pic.twitter.com/Fd7FSNwGNt
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) October 7, 2023
The spokesman for Hamas' armed wing, Abu Hamza, confirmed that fighters from the Al-Quds Brigades and the Al-Qassam Brigades were at the front of today's incursion, saying that the Gaza resistance recorded “a new chapter of victory" and "broke the prestige of the enemy entity,” with “a resounding historical shock.”
“Al-Aqsa Flood [revealed Israel] as an illusion made of dust and capable of being defeated and broken."
In response, Tel Aviv has been conducting air raids inside the Gaza Strip, a coastal area considered the world's largest open-air prison, leaving over 200 Palestinians dead and 1,600 injured. Survivors of the onslaught say they are “bracing” for the continued Israeli response as Hamas declared, “We are ready for an [Israeli] land invasion.”
BREAKING: CASUALTY UPDATE -
The Palestinian Health Ministry reports that according to preliminary data:
161 people were killed and 931 injured as a result of the Israeli strike on the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Government has said: at least 40 Israelis dead, 750 injured… pic.twitter.com/B2j0pNsBgV— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) October 7, 2023
Saturday's operation caught the world by surprise, with even former Israeli security officials calling it a “colossal failure” of the intelligence apparatus, which failed to detect the launch of about 7,000 rockets from Gaza.
“All of Israel is asking itself: Where is the [army], where is the police, where is the security?" the former head of the Israeli Navy said during a TV interview. “It’s a colossal failure; the hierarchies have simply failed, with vast consequences.”
In response to the crisis, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared his country at “war" to the support of his western allies. However, the offensive may throw a wrench at ongoing normalization talks with Saudi Arabia.
In a statement, kingdom officials said: “[Saudi Arabia] repeatedly warned of the consequences of [the deterioration] of the situation as a result of the occupation as well as of depriving the Palestinian people of their legitimate rights and [not halting] systematic provocations against their holy [sites].”
The UAE, which normalized ties with Israel in 2020, issued a statement “[expressing] its deep concern over the escalation of violence between Israelis and Palestinians," also calling “for an immediate cessation of the escalation and protection of the lives of civilians.”
Support for the operation has poured in from the regional resistance, with Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah calling it a “triumphant operation [and] a decisive response to the ongoing crimes of the occupation.”
Nasrallah also said the Lebanese resistance is “closely following the significant developments [in Palestine]” and "looking at the field conditions with utmost interest.”
Similarly, Yemen's Ansarallah said that “[Operation Al-Aqsa Flood] revealed the weakness, fragility, and impotence of the temporary zionist entity and showed the world the strength and effectiveness of the resistance in Palestine and its ability to strike the ‘Israeli’ depths, storm the settlements, kill the zionists, and capture their soldiers.”
For Israel, support has poured in from the west, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying via statement, “France stands in solidarity with Israel and the Israelis, committed to their security and their right to defend themselves.”
The White House issued a similar statement, describing Saturday's resistance operation as “appalling terrorist attacks.”
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