Israel Security Questioned After Hamas Surprise Attack. Saudi Says Warned Against Dangers: 10 Points

The Israel-Gaza fighting entered day 2 on Sunday after an unprecedented surprise attack by the Hamas terror group on Israel which led to the killings of hundreds of civilians.

Visuals following rocket attack by Hamas in Israel.

Source : Getty Images

Israel-Gaza War: The attack by Palestinian terror group Hamas on Israel on Saturday erupted in war between the conflicting regions resulting in the deaths of over 300 people and injuring more than 1,500, and the toll is expected to rise further. A large number of Hamas terrorists entered the Israeli border kidnapping and killing personnel of defence establishments and civilians, as it launched operation 'Al-Aqsa Flood'. Israel retaliated with operation 'Iron Swords' and vowed to end the military and government capabilities of Hamas and 'Palestinian Islamic Jihad'.

Meanwhile, questions are raised over the intelligence and security failure of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) which usually maintains a tight blockade on the threats of air strikes. An army spokesman said there would be discussions on the intelligence preparation "down the road", reported Reuters. On the other hand, in a statement, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said it was monitoring the situation, adding that it warned against the dangers leading to this situation due to the "deprivation of Palestinian people of their legitimate rights".

Latest On Israel-Gaza Battle: 10 Points 

1. The Prime Minister of Israel has asked residents of Gaza to leave. In a post on X, the PM said, "All of the places which Hamas is deployed, hiding and operating in, that wicked city, we will turn them into rubble. I say to the residents of Gaza: Leave now because we will operate forcefully everywhere."
2. According to the Times Of Israel, the Prime Minister’s Office said the security cabinet in its meeting has made a "series of operational decisions aimed at bringing about the destruction of the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad."  
3. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said: "We will take mighty vengeance for this wicked day." In a televised address, he said: "We will take revenge for all the young people who lost their lives. We will target all of Hamas’s positions. We will turn Gaza into a deserted island. To the citizens of Gaza, I say. You must leave now. We will target each and every corner of the strip."
4. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in a statement said it was closely following the developments of the "unprecedented situation between a number of Palestinian factions and the Israeli occupation forces, which has resulted in a high level of violence on several fronts there." It called for an immediate halt to the ongoing escalations and also recalled its "repeated warnings" of the dangers of the explosion of the situation due to continued occupation.
5. US President Joe Biden expressed support for Israel following unprecedented attacks Hamas group. "This is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage," Biden said. "My administration’s support for Israel’s security is rock-solid and unwavering...We will never fail to have Israel’s back," he said in a series of posts on X.
6. Experts called the sudden attack by Hamas on Israel an "intelligence failure". Retired General Giora Eiland, a former head of Israel's National Security Council said the country was completely surprised, by a "very well coordinated attack", quoted Reuters.
7. Jonathan Panikoff, the US government's former deputy national intelligence officer on the Middle East said" "This was an intelligence failure; it could not be otherwise...It was a security failure, undermining what was thought to be an aggressive and successful layered approach toward Gaza by Israel."
8. The death toll from the Hamas terror group’s attack on Israel has risen to more than 300, Hebrew-language media reports say, citing medical officials, quoted the Times of Israel. At least 1,590 have been wounded, many are critical. Hamas has claimed that the number of hostages is higher than Israel knows.
9. More than 230 Gazans were also killed when Israel responded with intense retaliatory strikes.
10. According to Reuters, in a speech, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh spoke on threats to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, the continuation of the blockade on Gaza and Israeli normalisation with countries in the region. "How many times have we warned you that the Palestinian people have been living in refugee camps for 75 years, and you refuse to recognise the rights of our people?" he said.
11. Hamas leaders have said the attack that began in Gaza, would spread to the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.