Hamas Militants Attack Israeli Territory; Israel: 'The Terrorist Organization Hamas Will Pay a Heavy Price'

Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip entered southern Israel on Saturday during an incursion that the Associated Press described as 'unprecedented.' According to the Associated Press, at the same time, a group of militants from the Islamist group Hamas fired 'thousands of rockets' towards Israeli territory. No precise casualty figures have been released. In response to this attack, Israel began its strikes on targets in Gaza. The Israeli army declared a state of emergency and stated: 'The terrorist organization Hamas will pay a heavy price.' Meanwhile, one of the commanders of the military wing of Hamas, Mohammed Deif, announced the start of an operation he called 'Operation Storm of Al-Aqsa.' Videos released on social media show a number of armed individuals, believed to be Palestinians, patrolling in military uniforms in the Israeli border town of Sderot. Additionally, some of the released videos indicate the deaths of Israeli soldiers and civilians, but the authenticity of these videos has not been confirmed by news sources. In this context, Josep Borrell, reacting to Hamas's attack on Israel, stated that 'terrorism and violence solve nothing.' Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, condemned Hamas's attack on Israel on social media platform X, writing: 'This horrific violence must stop immediately. Terrorism and violence solve nothing.' He described the reports coming from Israel as 'concerning' and condemned Hamas's attacks, stating: 'The European Union expresses its solidarity with Israel in these difficult moments.' Tensions had escalated in recent days between Palestinian militants and Israeli forces. A drone attack in Syria left dozens dead and wounded. The Israeli police arrested suspects of insulting pilgrims and Christian churches in Jerusalem.