Gunmen from the Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israeli towns on October 7, the bloodiest day of violence in Israel since the Yom Kippur battle 50 years ago.
On Saturday, Israel suffered its worst defense breach since Arab armies fought in 1973. This attack followed years of Hamas trying to hide its military plans and convince Israel not to fight.
Hamas attacked Israeli towns, killing 700 and kidnapping dozens. Since then, Israel’s Gaza retaliation has killed over 400 Palestinians. The Jewish Sabbath and a religious holiday were chosen for the attack, which Israel admits took place unexpectedly.
Major Nir Dinar, a spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces, described the attack as “our 9/11… They surprised us, and they came fast from many spots – both from the air, the ground, and the sea.”
Osama Hamdan, the representative of Hamas in Lebanon, told Reuters that the attack demonstrated the Palestinians’ determination to reach their objectives despite Israel’s military strength and capabilities.
The attack was condemned by Western nations, led by the United States.
On national television, President Joe Biden said Israel had the right to defend itself and warned Iran and other anti-Israel nations. “Anti-Israel parties should not use these attacks to gain advantage.” He said the world watches.
In Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, Hamas supporters burned Israeli and U.S. flags and waved Palestinian flags.
The Israeli security cabinet approved “for many years” cutting electricity, fuel, and goods into Gaza to destroy Hamas and Islamic Jihad’s military and government.
