Evacuations continue
Israel reports “full control” – 300,000 reservists mobilized
October 9, 2023, 11:07 a.m
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The Israeli army reports successes in the fight against Hamas. The areas within Israel attacked by the terrorist organization are under complete control, said the army spokesman. There are only isolated fights. The country is now in the midst of the largest mobilization in its history in a short period of time.
The Israeli army says it has regained “complete control” in the areas attacked by Hamas. “We have full control of the places,” said army spokesman Daniel Hagari about the southern Israeli areas near the Gaza Strip. However, it is possible that Hamas fighters are still on Israeli territory. In the morning, the Israeli army announced that there were still “between seven and eight” open battle sites in the border area with the Gaza Strip where fighting was continuing. At the same time, Hagari announced that Israel was mobilizing around 300,000 reservists. This is the largest mobilization in Israeli history in such a short time.
Hagari continued that clashes between Israeli troops and groups of the Palestinian terrorist organization had only occurred “scattered” in the past few hours. Meanwhile, Israeli troops would carry out airstrikes on the Gaza Strip every four hours. Hundreds of targets would be attacked, the spokesman said. The army only cares about places where terrorists are located. Hundreds have already been killed, said Hagari.
Evacuations continue
According to the spokesman, the border fence with the Gaza Strip has now been secured by tanks. Combat helicopters and drones also support securing the border. The evacuation of the Israeli border region should nevertheless continue. Currently, 15 of 24 cities have been evacuated by the army.
The city of Sderot, which is about one kilometer from the Gaza Strip, should not be evacuated at the moment. According to media reports, there were violent exchanges of gunfire in a swimming pool with several Israelis injured. The Israeli military said the paratrooper brigade was engaged in a “stubborn battle” with soldiers searching Sderot “to liberate the city from terrorists.”
The Palestinian organization Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, launched a major attack on Israel on Saturday morning and entered the country with hundreds of fighters. Hagari reports that around 4,400 rockets have been fired at Israel since then.
According to preliminary information, more than 700 people were killed and more than 2,100 others were injured on the Israeli side. Israel responded by bombing hundreds of targets in the Gaza Strip. According to local authorities, there have been 493 deaths and 2,751 injuries so far.