TEL AVIV, October 9. /TASS/. The Israeli forces have been fighting Palestinian militants that infiltrated Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip for over 40 hours already, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) press office announced Sunday evening.
"The IDF’s standing and reserve ground forces, in cooperation with [other] security forces, are conducting prolonged fighting in the [Israeli] towns surrounding Gaza, and have [killed] hundreds of terrorists in the towns, the border, and the coastline, in the last 40 hours," the IDF says in a statement.
The statement noted that Israeli forces carry out search operations, including in populated areas, engage in skirmishes with the military and protect local residents. At the same time, the mobilization of reservists continues, the IDF said.
Early on October 7, rocket strikes at Israeli territory started from the Gaza Strip; simultaneously, militant groups infiltrated Israel and engaged Israeli forces. The IDF declared the "state of readiness for war" and announced the beginning of operation "Swords of Iron."
Head of the HAMAS Politburo Ismail Haniyeh called the Palestinian operation near Gaza a reaction to aggressive actions of the Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in downtown Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel is at war and will prevail, while HAMAS will pay an unprecedented price.