Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is now “at war” after a shocking surprise attack by Hamas. Thousands of rockets have been fired into Israel and terrorist gunmen have openly attacked several Israeli towns and communities along the border near the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of Israelis have been reported wounded and 22 killed in the fighting between IDF ground forces and Hamas gunmen. Netanyahu said, “I have convened the heads of the defense establishment. I’ve given directives, first and foremost, to clear the [affected] urban areas of the terrorists who penetrated them. In parallel, I am initiating an extensive mobilization of the reserves to fight back on a scale and intensity that the enemy has so far not experienced. The enemy will pay an unprecedented price.” Opposition leader Yair Lapid and others issued a statement saying, “In days like these there is no opposition and no coalition in Israel. We “are united in the face of terrorism” and the need to strike with “a strong and determined fist.”
