User:Tapuz1234/Surprise Attack on Israel (2023)

The surprise attack on Israel is a surprise and widespread Palestinian terrorist attack by Hamas from the Gaza Strip on Israel, especially in the Gaza Strip, which began on the morning of October 7, 2023 and continues in the presence of terrorists in its territory. The attack included foot and motorized infiltration into Israeli territory, gun battles with the security forces, shooting at Israeli civilians, taking over settlements and military facilities and kidnapping civilians and soldiers. The ground sabotage activity was combined and heightened with a massive and continuous rocket fire of thousands of rockets.

suThe attack was the beginning of the war of iron swords, which the Palestinian nickname is Operation Flood Al-Aqsa.

In the attack, over 700 Israelis were murdered and over 2240  were injured, including 350 in critical condition. Dozens of civilians and soldiers were kidnapped to the Gaza Strip. This is the campaign with the highest number of Israeli casualties since the Yom Kippur War in 1973, and the highest number of civilian casualties since the War of Independence.

surprise attack
Since the disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005 until June 2007, the territory and its residents were under the exclusive control of the Palestinian Authority. During the month of June 2007, Hamas forces took control of the Strip, and since then the Strip has been under Hamas control. Following the Hamas takeover, Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on the Strip. Hamas has carried out many terrorist acts against Israel, in particular firing rockets. From time to time the IDF conducted operations in the Gaza Strip ( Operation Summer Rains, Operation Cloud Pillar, Operation Strong Cliff, Operation Wall Guard, Operation Magen and Arrow and many other rounds). To protect against attempts to penetrate into Israel, an underground barrier and a fence were built around the Gaza Strip.

Opening the attack
The Israeli intelligence community and the political echelon ignored early signs

The IDF was completely surprised by the attack. Terrorists entered over 20 localities in the Gaza Strip, including the cities of Sderot, Ofakim and Netivot, and took over the headquarters of the Gaza Division. Yamam fighters were called to the scene of the incident and fought the terrorist squads in the cities and localities. It was reported that in some localities, terrorists posed as IDF soldiers and knocked on the residents' doors.

Defense Minister Yoav Galant approved an extensive reserve mobilization, and declared a special situation in the rear in a radius of up to 80 kilometers from the border of the Gaza Strip. About an hour after the start of the attack, the IDF spokesman instructed the residents of the south and the center to be near protected areas, and in the Gaza Strip within the protected areas. About two hours after the start of the attack, the IDF began to attack in the Gaza Strip.

Muhammad Daf, the head of the military wing of Hamas, justified the attack by claiming that Israel had desecrated the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and called on the residents of the Gaza Strip and Israeli Arabs to join the attack.

The massacre at the nature party near Reim
Terrorists arrived at the nature party complex in the Reim forest, fired at the participants and threw grenades. At least 200 civilians were killed, and hundreds were injured, making the event the largest terrorist attack in the history of the State of Israel. Some of the participants were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists into captivity in Gaza.

Battle of Sderot
Terrorists who infiltrated the city of Sderot participated in an exchange of fire with Israeli police units and civilians, killing and wounding many people. In the end, the terrorists captured the local police station, which was released hours later, following the arrival of IDF reinforcements. At least twenty policemen were killed during the incident.

The hostages in Kibbutz Bari
About 50 residents of Kibbutz Bari were taken hostage and held by terrorists in the kibbutz's dining room. 18 hours later at 1:15, all the hostages were released.

Netiv HaAsara
Terrorists infiltrated the settlement of Netiv HaAsara and murdered more than 15 of its residents.

Kfar Gaza
In Kibbutz Kfar Gaza, prolonged battles took place on the first and second day of the attack against about ten terrorists who infiltrated the settlement. Some of the residents of the kibbutz were besieged in their homes until they were rescued by IDF fighters.

Occupying the "Gaza Division" headquarters
One of the Hamas forces attacked the headquarters of the Gaza Division near Kibbutz Ra'im and captured it. According to Hamas, many of the soldiers were surprised in their sleep and went out to fight in their underwear and many of them were captured. In the photos published by the organization, buildings and armored vehicles were seen on fire. In the evening of that day, the IDF managed to liberate the camp, after heavy fighting.

Nir Oz
Kibbutz Nir Oz was completely destroyed. Many were murdered in their homes, houses were burned and civilians were kidnapped to Gaza. Only around 8 in the evening did the forces arrive to rescue the besieged. 160 only  The members of the kibbutz survived and waited almost another day in the dining hall to evacuate to the city of Eilat.

Zikim
The alert squad at Kibbutz Zikim fought terrorists who attacked the kibbutz and thus prevented terrorists from entering the kibbutz.

dead and wounded
Over 700 civilians, policemen and soldiers were murdered in the attack, and many dozens were kidnapped to the Gaza Strip. More than 2,000 wounded were brought to hospitals, including Soroka Hospital, Kaplan Medical Center, Shamir Medical Center and Barzilai Medical Center. Citizens were called to donate blood.

Among those killed in the exchange of fire with the terrorists were the head of the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council, Ofir Liebstein, Lt. Col. Yonathan Steinberg, commander of the Nahal Brigade , Lt. Col. Roi Levy, commander of the Rav Mamdit unit, who was killed in Kibbutz Ra'im, and Lt. Col. Yonatan Zur, Maj.D. Nahal Patrol. 30 policemen, including the commanders of the Rahat and Segev Shalom stations, MGB fighters and YMM fighters, were among the dead.

Among the dead and wounded are also foreign citizens including Americans, Thais, and Ukrainians. 

Countermeasures
Following the attack, the IDF and the Israel Police acted to purge the surrounding area of Gaza of the terrorists who had infiltrated there. Most of the terrorists who remained in Israeli territory were killed or captured during October 7, and fighting with terrorists in Israeli territory continued on October 8, at the beginning of which six fighting centers remained in Israeli territory. At the same time, Operation "Iron Swords" in which the Israeli Air Force bombed over eight hundred Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, and reserves were called up.

On the evening of October 7, in response to the launch of the attack, Energy Minister Israel Katz signed an order ordering the cessation of electricity supply to the Gaza Strip.

On October 8, the political-security cabinet approved the declaration of a "state of war".

Reactions
There is a great similarity between the intelligence failure of 2023, according to which the assessment was that an attack from the Gaza Strip would not be expected, and the intelligence assessments before the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "the IDF will immediately use all its power to destroy the capabilities of Hamas. We will beat them to death and we will take revenge with might for this black day they have brought upon the State of Israel and its citizens. As Bialik said: "Satan has not yet created vengeance for the blood of a small child", Defense Minister Yoav Galant said that "we will change the face of reality in the Gaza Strip 50 years from now" , also in a meeting with opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz Benjamin Netanyahu suggested they enter a national emergency government. Benny Gantz said that he is considering it positively, in contrast to Yair Lapid who conditioned his joining on changes in the composition of the government, which includes firing ministers and accepting cases.


 * A large exercise about three weeks before the attack with rocket barrages towards the sea, "raids on Zionist sites" and a military parade.
 * Riots on the fence and the release of incendiary balloons . In retrospect, it turns out that Hamas tested the IDF's vigilance before crossing the fence.

A precise exercise by Hamas, filmed and published before the war

 * HML is isolated.
 * Diversion using rocket barrages.
 * Breaching the fence.
 * Fast movement using vans.
 * Arriving in settlements surrounding Gaza, entering houses and killing their residents.

Reactions in Israel
Many countries in the world, as well as international organizations, have published responses to the situation, including:

Reactions in the world
On October 8, the shooting attack occurred in Alexandria : an Egyptian policeman hired to secure a group of Israeli tourists visiting Alexandria opened fire on them, killing two Israelis and an Egyptian.


 * ארצות הברית The American president, Joe Biden stated that he is standing with Israel and warned "hostile elements" from taking advantage of the solution.
 * ארצות הברית The Americen Foreing Minister Anthony Blaiken said that: "this is the hardest attack Israel have ever seen since 1973" and the United States is making progres at assuring the Israeli needs.
 * צרפת President of France, Emanuel Macroon, tweeted in Hebrew, English and French in his personal Tweeter account, and specipied that he condemns the attack, and France is standing with Israel and supporting it for the Israeli rights of protection.
 * הליגה הערבית Secretary of the Arabian Leauge, Ahmed Abu Al-Rait called for "immediate stopping for the actions in the gaza strip" and of the "armed circle of conflicts between the two sides" and said that "the continued implementation of Israel's violent and extreme policy is a ticking time bomb that deprives the entire region of a serious opportunity for stability in the foreseeable future"
 * איראן The President of Iran, Ibrahim Raisi, praised the actions of Hamas and supported the "insisting" and in the Palestinian people.
 * האיחוד האירופי Orsula Von Der Line, the President of the European Commision, wrote that she "condemns in an significant way" the actions of the Hamas, that she called "Terror in the most ugliest shape.", and that Israel have her own right for protecting her from "these heinous attacks.

Many major newspapers around the world extensively covered the surprise attack.


 * מתקפת פתע על ישראל בחג - עדכונים, באתר ynet, 7 באוקטובר 2023
 * מתקפת פתע של חמאס - עדכונים, באתר הארץ, 7 באוקטובר 2023
 * עזה פתחה במלחמה - עדכונים, באתר וואלה!‏, 7 באוקטובר 2023
 * יומן אירועים - כל העדכונים, התיעודים והדיווחים האחרונים, באתר צה"ל, 7 באוקטובר 2023
 * חללי "חרבות ברזל", באתר צה"ל
 * יואב זיתון, אילנה קוריאל, אלישע בן קימון, מאיר תורג'מן, ישראל מושקוביץ, רוני גרין שאולוב, מפקדים ולוחמים, שוטרים, לוחמי מג"ב וימ"מ: הנרצחים ששמם פורסם, באתר ynet, 7 באוקטובר 2023