Palestinians in Gaza attack Israel

Hello Middle East Eye readers,

In the early hours of Saturday, the Palestinian movement Hamas launched a surprise military attack against Israel.

The scale of the assault, which is continuing, is not fully clear but appears to be unprecedented in nature. 

A barrage of rockets were fired into Israel's south and centre, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. 

At the same time, Palestinian fighters infiltrated the border fence separating Israel and Gaza and reached deep into Israeli cities. 

Dozens of armed squads were filmed walking on foot in Sderot and other areas. Another video showed them in vans. 

There were reports of exchanges of fire between the Palestinian fighters and Israeli police in some areas.

Mohammed Deif, the leader of Hamas's military wing, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said in a statement the group had launched Operation Al-Aqsa Storm. 

He said it was in response to Israel's continued aggression on Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque and Palestinians elsewhere. He added that "today was the time for the Palestinian people to rise, correct their path, and establish their independent Palestinian state". 

The Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared a state of emergency within a range of 80km, which includes Tel Aviv and Beersheba. 

The Israeli military has said it is in a state of war and called up its reservists.

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