Rockets are launched by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip towards Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Gun battles raged into the night, hours after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise large-scale attack against Israel Saturday. Hamas had fired thousands of rockets from Gaza and sent fighters to kill and abduct soldiers and civilians.
The coordinated attack came as a complete surprise to Israeli intelligence.
At least 250 Israelis were killed and more than 1,000 wounded after dozens of Palestinian militants infiltrated Israel from Gaza by land, sea and air. An unknown number of Israeli soldiers and civilians were seized and taken into Gaza, an enormously sensitive issue for Israel.
Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza, leveling several buildings in Gaza City. Palestinian health officials said at least 200 Palestinians were killed and more than 1,600 wounded in the Israeli strikes.
Israel vows retaliation
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to avenge what he said was a "black day" for Israel, saying the army will strike back at Hamas in Gaza with full force.
"The [Israeli Defense Force] is about to use all its force to destroy Hamas's capabilities," Netanyahu said in a brief televised statement. "We'll strike them to the bitter end and avenge with force this black day they brought on Israel and its people."
Hamas launches surprise, wide-scale attack in Israel.
U.S. President Joe Biden voiced "rock solid and unwavering" support for the U.S. ally and warned "against any other party hostile to Israel seeking advantage in this situation."
The United Nations Security Council called an emergency meeting for Sunday to discuss the latest violence.
As night fell, the Israeli army said its forces were engaged in live gun battles in 22 locations in Israel.
"There are still 22 locations where we are engaging with terrorists that came into Israel, from the sea, from the land and from the air," said army spokesperson Richard Hecht on what he labelled a "robust ground invasion."
In Photos: Hamas Attack on Israel and Retaliation
1/22People standing on a rooftop watch as a ball of fire and smoke rises above a building in Gaza City, Oct. 7, 2023 during an Israeli airstrike that hit the Palestine Tower building.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
2/22Palestinians inspect the rubble of a building after it was struck by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
3/22Passengers look at a departure board at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Oct. 7, 2023, as flights are canceled because of the Hamas surprise attacks.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
4/22Journalists take cover behind cars as Israeli soldiers take position during clashes with Palestinian fighters near the Gevim Kibbutz, close to the border with Gaza, Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
5/22An Israeli woman react over the body of her relative who was killed by Palestinian armed militants who entered from the Gaza strip, in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
6/22Israeli police officers evacuate a family from a site hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, Oct. 7, 2023. The rockets were fired as Hamas announced a new operation against Israel.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
7/22A man stands in front of a damaged shop in Tel Aviv, after it was hit by a rocket fired by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip, Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
8/22An Israeli soldier stands by the bodies of Israelis killed by Palestinian armed militants who entered from the Gaza strip, in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
9/22Israeli soldiers secure residential areas in Sderot following a mass-infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
10/22Palestinians transport a captured Israeli civilian from Kibbutz Kfar Azza into the Gaza Strip, Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
11/22Palestinians celebrate at a destroyed Israeli tank at the Gaza Strip fence east of Khan Younis, Israel, Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
12/22An injured Israeli officer gestures as he arrives at a hospital in Ashkelon, Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
13/22Members of the Israeli security forces walk along a debris-strewn street in Tel Aviv, after it was hit by a rocket fired by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip, Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
14/22Palestinian militants ride an Israeli military vehicle that was seized by gunmen who infiltrated areas of southern Israel, in the northern Gaza Strip, Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
15/22A view of a junction in the Sderot area, southern Israel, shows the aftermath of a mass-infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
16/22People react at the site where a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip landed in Tel Aviv, Israel, Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
17/22Israeli police check the damage from a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip in Tel Aviv, Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
18/22Rockets are launched by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
19/22People look at the damage from a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip in Tel Aviv, Israel, Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
20/22Firefighters put out a fire in an open field, following a mass-infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, near a hospital in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
21/22Cars and a building are seen after a rocket attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
22/22A salvo of rockets is fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza City toward Israel, Oct. 7, 2023. At least 70 people were reported killed in Israel, while Gaza authorities released a death toll of 198 in the bloodiest escalation in the wider conflict since May 2021, with hundreds more wounded on both sides.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip Saturday. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
Previous slide
Next slide
The coordinated attack began around 6:30 a.m. local time with thousands of rockets aimed as far as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, some bypassing the Iron Dome defense system and hitting buildings.
Hamas fighters, using ground vehicles, motorized paragliders, and boats, breached Gaza's security barrier and attacked nearby Israeli towns and military posts, opening fire on residents and passersby.
Linda Gradstein in Jerusalem contributed to this report; some material for this article came from The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.
