TNI Bureau: Palestinian armed group Hamas on Saturday launched a massive attack from the Gaza Strip in what it called a “military action” against Israel.

More than 50 Hamas terrorists seem to have infiltrated into Southern Israel through land, air and sea. They reportedly fired 5,000 rockets from the Gaza Strip, which it controls.

The Hamas also declared that they have taken 35 Israelis as hostages at the Gaza Strip.

The terrorist launched major rocket attacks in Ashkelon and Tel Aviv while Israel was observing a Jewish holiday. While 6 people were said to have been killed, over 300 others sustained injuries.

Mohammad Deif, a senior Hamas military commander, announced the start of the operation. He urged the Palestinians to fight “against the last occupation on Earth”.

Meanwhile, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel “was at war” and “not an operation”, referring to the counteroffensive launched against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. He said Hamas would “pay a price” for launching an attack on the country.

“We are at war, not an operation. Hamas has launched a murderous surprise attack against the State of Israel and its citizens. I ordered first of all to cleanse the settlements of the terrorists who had infiltrated and ordered a large-scale mobilisation of reserves. The enemy will pay a price they have never known,” he said.

Likewise, the Israel Defence Force (IDF) announced that it is initiating a large-scale operation to defend Israeli civilians against the combined attack launched against Israel by Hamas. It named the operation as ‘Operation Swords of Iron.’