Current:Home > NewsHorrors emerge from Hamas infiltration of Israel on Gaza border -InfinityFinance
Horrors emerge from Hamas infiltration of Israel on Gaza border
View
Date:2025-04-11 23:39:54
TEL AVIV, Israel -- Indiscriminate killing. Kidnappings. Homes raided and a music festival under attack. More than 900 Israelis have been killed as a result of the most devastating assault on Israel since the Yom Kippur War of 1973.
Hamas militants broke through the fences surrounding Gaza on Saturday morning , attacking Israeli soil by land, sea and air, using mechanized hang gliders and motorbikes to storm communities caught completely unaware.
"They came through the streets on pickup trucks with turrets on the back, spraying bullets, everything around them at the civilians walking up and down the street," Maj. Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for the IDF in the city of Sderot, which was overwhelmed by Hamas and subsequently liberated, told ABC News' Ian Pannell. "Women with little babies. People dying on the ground."
Hamas fired at least 3,000 rockets from Gaza into Israel, targeting towns and cities in southern Israel.
MORE: Israel-Gaza live updates: IDF says Hamas fighters are 'hiding' in Israeli communities
The majority of the rockets were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system, but, what is considered to be a major intelligence failure by the Israeli authorities, saw Hamas storm swathes of territory in Israel's south.
In the skies above the Supernova Festival, taking place near the kibbutz of Re'im -- approximately 3 miles from the Gaza border -- those rockets were the first sign of what was to come.
At least 260 people were killed there, according to the Israeli authorities, with video emerging of Israelis fleeing on foot across the desert and some being kidnapped and taken back to Gaza.
One of the attendees, Noam Manket, said that those who tried to flee in their cars were shot by Hamas gunmen. She fled on foot and is yet to hear from some of her closest friends who attended the festival with her.
"You just keep running because you realize that if you don't keep running, then you don't go back home," she told ABC News.
More than 100 Israeli citizens and soldiers are believed to have been taken hostage in Gaza. In a statement, Hamas has threatened to execute the hostages if the devastating bombardment of the Gaza strip, launched in response to the surprise attack. President Biden said Monday at least 11 Americans are among those killed, and more may have been kidnapped and taken hostage in Gaza.
Many families learned that their family members had been kidnapped after identifying them from videos shared on social media.
One of those taken was Karina Ashaev. Her sister, Sasha, described what it was like when she first saw her in a video online, bound and covered in blood as she was driven away on a motorbike.
"At first I saw this and didn't think it was her. I just swiped next," Sasha told ABC News foreign correspondent James Longman. "Her whole face was in blood, she was screaming. We recognized her by her nose, her brows, her chest. And then we know it was her."
MORE: Did Iran direct the Hamas attacks on Israel? Both US and Israel say no hard evidence
Uriel Bohbot, whose brother Elkana was also captured, can also only wait to hear for news.
"I can see that he's afraid he's so scared ... hopefully, he's gonna be alive," he told ABC News. "I don't know if he will die or live."
In the kibbutz of Be'eri, one of the largest in Israel, 108 bodies were discovered on Monday in the aftermath of the surprise Hamas attack. On the ground, the bodies of Israeli citizens littered the area, but more horrifying stories are expected to emerge as the authorities continue their recovery operations.
Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. The Palestinian authorities report at least 687 people, including 140 children and 105 women, have been killed so far in the strikes. The IDF said on Monday they had hit over 1,500 military targets.
The death toll is expected to climb.
veryGood! (988)
Related
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- 5 dead as train strikes SUV in Florida, sheriff says
- 20,000 Toyota Tundras have been recalled. Check if your vehicle is impacted
- Deshaun Watson has been woeful with the Browns. Nick Chubb's injury could bring QB needed change.
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- 11 Hidden Sales You Don't Want to Miss: Pottery Barn, Ulta, SKIMS & More
- Lots of dignitaries but no real fireworks — only electronic flash — as the Asian Games open
- GM email asks for salaried workers to cross picket lines, work parts distribution centers
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- Home explosion in West Milford, New Jersey, leaves 5 hospitalized
Ranking
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- Justin Fields' surprising admission on Bears' coaches cranks up pressure on entire franchise
- Flamingos in Wisconsin? Tropical birds visit Lake Michigan beach in a first for the northern state
- New York Civil Liberties Union sues NYPD for records on transgender sensitivity training
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- US diplomat says intelligence from ‘Five Eyes’ nations helped Canada to link India to Sikh’s killing
- Nevada Republicans have set rules for their presidential caucus seen as helping Donald Trump
- Birthplace of the atomic bomb braces for its biggest mission since the top-secret Manhattan Project
Recommendation
Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
iPhone 15 demand exceeds expectations, as consumers worldwide line up to buy
Charles McGonigal, ex-FBI official, pleads guilty to concealing $225,000 in payments
One Kosovo police officer killed and another wounded in an attack in the north, raising tensions
Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
At the edge of the UN security perimeter, those with causes (and signs) try to be heard
Pete Davidson Is Dating Outer Banks’ Madelyn Cline
Not RoboCop, but a new robot is patrolling New York's Times Square subway station