Hamas gunmen kidnap Israeli grandmothers and whisk them into Gaza Strip on golf carts amid reports they have snatched more than 50 civilians
Hamas gunmen have kidnapped Israeli grandmothers and have taken them into the Gaza Strip on golf carts, amid reports that they have snatched more than 50 civilians.
Hamas, the de facto governing authority of the Gaza Strip, claims to have fired 5,000 rockets into Israel, setting off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Israel has vowed to exact revenge on Palestinian militants after they launched the surprise attack, warning Hamas that they had made a ‘grave mistake’.
Residents living close to Israel’s border with Gaza have been ordered to stay inside and others have been evacuated after Hamas militants infiltrated the country by land, sea and air and launched a fusillade of missile strikes.
A resident of Be’eri, Kibbutz, named Ella told Channel 12 that she is hearing ‘lots of gunfire’ nearby.
One captured woman was sat in the front seat of a golf cart accompanied with three male Hamas members as they made their way into the Gaza Strip
Another image showed a woman, who is being held hostage, holding a gun and putting her hands up in a peace sign alongside a member of Hamas in a balaclava
Another resident from the south is worried that his family have been snatched and taken into the Gaza Strip.
He said his wife and daughters have disappeared and that he has tried to ring them, but nobody is answering.
READ MORE: Israel vows bloody revenge on Hamas as PM Benjamin Netanyahu says ‘we are at war’ after gunmen used paragliders to launch attacks
He then tracked his wife’s phone, which says that it is in the Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
This comes as there are unconfirmed reports that Hamas gunmen are holding hostages at the Kibbutz.
Around 50 Israelis of all ages are thought to have been taken hostage by Hamas gunmen in Beeri Kibbutz near the Gaza border, according to channel N12.
Pictures show senior Israeli women being transported on golf carts and motorcycles from Kibbutz into the Gaza Strip.
One grandmother was wedged in between two members of Hamas on a motorcycle. One of them was holding a sizable gun.
One captured woman was sat in the front seat of a golf cart, accompanied by three male Hamas members as they made their way into the Gaza Strip.
Another image showed a woman holding a gun and putting her hands up in a peace sign alongside a member of Hamas in a balaclava.
A senior leader of Hamas, Saleh al-Arouri, said that the group had enough hostages to make Israel free all its Palestinian prisoners.
The murder of civilians has drawn widespread condemnation from world leaders and prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to say the country is at ‘war’.
Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that the militants will pay an ‘unprecedented price’ after their attacks killed at least 40 Israelis; Palestinian officials have since claimed 161 people have been killed in retaliatory strikes by Israel.
Speaking in a televised address, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant said that Hamas had made a ‘grave mistake…and launched a war against the State of Israel’ – vowing that ‘Israel will win’.
One grandmother was wedged in between two members of Hamas on a motorcycle, one of them was holding a sizable gun
Hamas claimed to have fired 5,000 rockets into Israel from the occupied Gaza Strip, setting off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
Emerging footage shows horrific scenes, including Palestinian groups celebrating as they paraded the naked body of a female IDF soldier on a truck through Gaza.
The coordinated attack has seen border fences broken down, tanks immobilised, dozens of hostages reportedly taken and residential buildings targeted by airstrikes.
READ MORE: Who are Hamas? Everything you need to know about the Palestinian terror movement that has launched war on Israel
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was ‘shocked’ by the attacks, writing on X, formerly Twitter: ‘Israel has an absolute right to defend itself. We’re in contact with Israeli authorities, and British nationals in Israel should follow travel advice.’
Videos on social media appeared to show armed troops from the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ militant arm, moving through built-up areas firing weapons as Israeli residents were evacuated from their homes following air strikes.
In a statement posted on Telegram, Hamas called on ‘the resistance fighters in the West Bank’ as well as ‘our Arab and Islamic nations’ to join the battle.
In remarks reported by CNN, militant commander Deif said: ‘If you have a gun, get it out. This is the time to use it – get out with trucks, cars, axes. Today the best and most honorable history starts.’
‘Today the people are regaining their revolution,’ he added, in other statements reported by AP, as he called on Palestinians from east Jerusalem to northern Israel to ‘expel the occupiers and demolish the walls.’
In response, Israeli forces have vowed that Hamas will ‘face the consequences and responsibility for these events’.
It has started striking targets in Gaza in response, and deployed countermeasures to repel further air attacks – prompting further rocket launches from inside the blockaded territory.
In a filmed statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, following the attacks, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the incursion was a ‘murderous surprise attack’, adding: ‘We are at war, not an operation, not rounds, but at war.’
Hamas has controlled the Strip since winning the 2006 parliamentary elections and toppling rival party Fatah in a power struggle during the bloody Battle of Gaza in 2007.
At least 118 people were killed and more than 550 wounded during the fighting up to June 15, 2007, as Hamas militants ousted Fatah officials and took power.
In response, Israel imposed a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The conflict brought an end to the ‘unity government’ administering Gaza and the West Bank, with the Palestinian National Authority overseeing the eastern territory independently.
While the Palestinian National Authority still lays claim to Gaza, the city remains under the control of Hamas.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan expressed his thoughts about the conflict on X, formerly known as Twitter.
He wrote: ‘The news coming out of Israel is deeply distressing. I condemn the terrorist acts of Hamas and my thoughts ae with those affected and those who have lost loved ones.’
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