Israel To Expand Response, Won’t Be Confined By Geography, Says Envoy Gilon

Israeli Ambassador to India Naor Gilon has called the Hamas attack "cowardly actions", adding that forces will counter the same to protect Israeli citizens.

A rocket barrage attack early Saturday morning from the Gaza Strip by the Hamas group towards Israel erupted in a situation of war in the region that has been witnessing the conflict since last many years. Now, Israel has launched operation 'Swords of Iron' and is targeting Hamas areas in the Gaza Strip. Speaking over the same, Ambassador of Israel to India, Naor Gilon said the attacks were launched when Israeli civilians were sleeping peacefully. Calling it a "cowardly action", Gilon said that it came during the sacred Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah.

"Israel is currently fighting to repell coordinated, large and multi pronged palestinian terror attacks. These attacks which were launched early this morning by Hamas on our civilians, sleeping peacefully in their beds, in cities and villages of the south and central Israel are war crimes," he said in a statement.

"The cowardly actions of hamas, targeting and killing women, children and elderly, injuring hundreds of civilians and firing indiscriminately over 2000 missiles and rockets at our cities, came during the sacred Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. Israel will repell this combined assault of rocket fire and ground infiltration of Hamas terrorists and will take any and all actions to protect our citizens. We appreciate the support of the people of India as we stand firm in the face of terrorism," the Ambassador added.

Meanwhile, speaking on the development, former Spokesperson of Israel Defence Forces (IDF), Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said that Hamas infiltrators "have been butchering, executing and abducting Israeli civilians from their homes". He said Israel has begun its first stage of retaliation, adding that it will beat the level never seen before.

"This is a very severe day in Israel. An unprecedented and unprovoked attack against Israeli civilians by hundreds of Hamas terrorists from Gaza into Israel. They have been butchering, executing and abducting Israeli civilians from their homes. We have reports of Israeli civilians being held in Gaza, and there are also many other unconfirmed reports of Israeli casualties. More than 1,000 rockets have already fired at 80% of populated Israel, including our capital Jerusalem and Tel Aviv...And as we speak, Israel has started its very first stage of retaliating against military targets belonging to Hamas in Gaza," Conricus said.

The former IDF spokesperson further said, "I think that the Israeli response will beat a level not seen before, not by Hamas, and not by any of the other Iranian proxies. I wouldn't rule out that this time, Israel will expand the response and not confine it only to the current area of operations, which is the Gaza Strip, but that we may see attacks or retaliations by Israel that are not confined by the geographical area of operations."