Watch | Rocket barrage from Gaza as Hamas launches surprise attack on Israel

Six hours after the invasion began, Hamas militants were still fighting gunbattles inside several Israeli communities in a surprise attack that shook the country

Palestinians wave their national flag and celebrate by a destroyed Israeli tank at the Gaza Strip fence east of Khan Younis southern Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. (AP)

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The ruling Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip carried out a multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by different routes on Shabbat & the holiday of Simchat Torah, a major holiday in the country.

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Six hours after the invasion began, Hamas militants were still fighting gunbattles inside several Israeli communities in a surprise attack that shook the country. Social media was replete with videos of Hamas fighters parading what appeared to be stolen Israeli military vehicles through the streets and breaching the borders of in several locations.

Israel’s national rescue service said at least 40 people have been killed and hundreds wounded, making it the deadliest attack in Israel in years. “We are at war,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address, declaring a mass mobilization of the country’s army reserves. “Not an ‘operation,’ not a ‘round,’ but at war.” “The enemy will pay an unprecedented price,” he added, promising that Israel would “return fire of a magnitude that the enemy has not known.”

This is how Palestinian forces started breaking through the border with Israel today. pic.twitter.com/Oj49yA7rU0

— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 7, 2023

#BREAKING Hamas armed drone strike on Israeli Merkava 4 tank. pic.twitter.com/e8gph7tYVK

— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 7, 2023

Palestinian forces infiltrate the Erez Crossing area. pic.twitter.com/ugvfvBLNX6

— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 7, 2023

Burning parking lot in southern Israel after a rocket hit from Gaza. pic.twitter.com/d2PC3hVh4k

— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 7, 2023

Terrorists from Gaza attacked an outdoor party near Kibbutz Urim in Southern Israel.

Attendees recount harrowing moments of gunfire, with many still in hiding.

Concerns grow about potential casualties. #IsraelNews #GazaTerror | 📸: Walla #OperationIronSwords… pic.twitter.com/yUM2M9PSWz

— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) October 7, 2023

#WATCH | Gaza: Rocket barrages launched towards Israel from Gaza

The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas launched an attack on Israel in a surprise assault that combined gunmen crossing the border with a heavy barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, reports Reuters

(Video… pic.twitter.com/pk8q2Byvl1

— ANI (@ANI) October 7, 2023

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