Hundreds die in rocket, airstrike attacks between Hamas and Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday morning that Israel is now “at war” with Hamas after the Palestinian group launched a surprise rocket and ground attack against Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip. The attacks came on the 50th anniversary of the 1973 War, in which Arab states blitzed Israel on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Israel’s national rescue service said at least 100 Israelis had died and more than 700 were wounded in those attacks as of Saturday morning. In a statement, Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari of the Israeli Defense Forces said Hamas had taken “hostages and prisoners of war.” Israel retaliated with airstrikes in Gaza that killed nearly 200 people and wounded more than 1,600, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Casualty numbers were expected to rise on both sides.

Has the U.S. government responded? Shortly after the attacks, the White House issued a statement saying it “unequivocally condemns” the Hamas attacks, calling them “unprovoked” and reiterating that the United States stands firmly with Israel. Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, said, “There is never any justification for terrorism.”

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Jill Nelson’s report on the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007.