The Palestinian organization Hamas (considered terrorist by the United States), which governs the Gaza Strip, carried out an unprecedented attack on several fronts against Israel on Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as its guerrillas infiltrated across the border of the Palestinian territories.
The offensive took Israeli forces by surprise during a national holiday, causing at least 22 deaths, Israeli officials said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that his country is "at war" and called for a general mobilization of its military reservists, reviving in memory the 1973 war, which is half a century old.
The Soroka Medical Center in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba said it has treated at least 280 people, 60 of them in serious condition. The Barzilai hospital in Ashkelon, near Gaza, said it received 182 wounded, including 12 in critical condition.
The White House "unequivocally condemned the unprovoked attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians." "There is never any justification for terrorism," said Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the National Security Council, "we strongly support the Government and people of Israel, express our condolences for the Israeli lives lost in these attacks."
The head of the European Union's Executive Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wrote on the social network X (formerly known as Twitter) that the attack "is terrorism in its most despicable form," adding that "Israel has the right to defend itself from such heinous attacks."