Residents of Israeli regions near the Gaza Strip are begging for help in connection with attacks by Palestinian Hamas. They report that terrorists are opening fire in cities in the south of the country, Israeli media report. There are also reports of Hamas taking hostages. According to Reuters, terrorists show videos of hostages being transported to Palestinian territory on social media.
“They are shooting at our house, they are trying to break down the shelter door,” a resident of Kibbutz Sufa reported Saturday morning. The woman said that her husband and other armed men were fighting in the streets and that they had no support from the army. “Please send help,” the woman pleads.
Residents of regions near the Gaza Strip report unprecedented fighting.
READ: Hamas attacked Israel from sea, land and air. Fighting in cities, Tel Aviv sent fighters
Reports of hostage taking
Palestinian terrorists took Israeli hostages in the city of Ofakim in the south of the country, Israeli television 13 TV reported. Some houses near the border are burning.
A resident of Kibbutz Be’eri told the media that her father was kidnapped by Hamas members and taken to the Gaza Strip – writes the Times of Israel. – He wrote to me that they entered the house. He said they were taking him away. I saw photos of him in Gaza, she reported.
Reuters reported in the early afternoon that Hamas was publishing videos on social networks purporting to show kidnapped Israeli civilians being taken to the Gaza Strip. Palestinian media confirm these reports.
Terrorists also publish videos online showing the bodies of killed Israeli soldiers being transported to Gaza, as well as armed members of the group on the streets of one of Israeli cities.
The Times of Israel also writes about the recordings showing soldiers and civilians captured by the militants.
Rocket attack on IsraelReuters
Closed schools
The Israeli Defense Forces said that schools in southern and central Israel would be closed on Sunday due to the attack. One million children will stay at home. The permitted size of gatherings has also been limited: to 10 people outdoors and 50 indoors.
Businesses can open on Sunday if they have ready access to shelters, the army said.
The restrictions are to apply until 6 p.m. on Sunday, but it is possible that they will be extended due to the fights.
The last casualty count was submitted after 12. by the Israeli Ministry of Health spoke of 545 injured in hospitals and 22 fatalities from the attacks.
Main photo source: EPA/PAP