Hamas launched a massive, "unprecedented" attack against Israel on Saturday, with the Muslim terrorist group raining down thousands of rockets and sending fighters across the border by air, land, and sea - some even invading via motorized hang gliders - to kill or abduct Israelis. The invasion was well-documented on social media (numerous embedded videos below; may take a sec to load). PM Netanyahu responded by declaring war against Hamas and saying Israel will "respond militarily at an intensity and scale that the enemy has not known before" and that "the enemy will pay a price they have never paid before."
According to the Times of Israel, at publishing time over 100 Israelis had been killed and more taken hostage. Hamas killed Israelis with firearms, rockets, and drone bombs, while kidnapping officials and civilian women. Social media videos painted a grim and disturbing picture of the situation currently unfolding with one of America's most important allies. [Warning: Some are graphic and disturbing.]
Israeli PM Netanyahu said:
"We are at war, not in an operation, not in rounds of fighting — at war. I instructed a wide-scale call for reserves to respond militarily at an intensity and scale that the enemy has not known before. The enemy will pay a price they have never paid before."
Netanyahu also said:
[Israel's] 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 immense price from the enemy, within the Gaza Strip as well. 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."
Mosque loudspeakers in the area offered morning prayers on Saturday grieving the terrorists who were killed, while Iran, which the Biden administration just gave $6 billion, praised the horrific attack.
The first response from the U.S. came from Biden's Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who said America "will ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself and protect civilians from indiscriminate violence and terrorism."
President Biden later phoned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and offered words of support, with the PM warning Biden that "a prolonged and powerful campaign [against Hamas] would be required" in response to the invasion.
Donald Trump released a statement calling the attacks a "disgrace" and saying, "Sadly, American taxpayer dollars helped fund these attacks."
Biden finally released the following statement at 11:08 a.m. ET.
This is a rapidly developing story; this article will be updated as further details emerge.
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
