Militants Infiltrate Israel From Gaza As Hamas Claims Major Rocket Attack

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel “is at war” after Hamas launched a devastating surprise attack on the country on Saturday, and vowed to exact an “unprecedented price” from the terror group.

“Citizens of Israel, we are at war. Not an operation, not a round [of fighting,] at war! This morning Hamas initiated a murderous surprise attack against the state of Israel and its citizens,” Netanyahu said in his filmed statement in Hebrew.

The statement, which appeared to have been filmed at the Israel Defense Forces headquarters in Tel Aviv, was posted at around 11 a.m., several hours into the fighting that erupted after Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel and dozens of gunmen crossed the border with the Gaza Strip and invaded multiple Israeli towns and communities.

At least 22 Israelis were confirmed killed and hundreds wounded by early afternoon. Additional casualties were reported from the Gaza border communities, where gun battles still raged between the IDF and terrorists who were seen roaming freely in several places.

“We have been in this since the early morning hours. 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,” Netanyahu said. “This is happening right now.”

“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,” Netanyahu said.

“I urge the public to follow strictly the directives of the military, the Home Front Command. We are at war and will win,” Netanyahu said.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also vowed that Israel “will win this war.”