• Hezbollah militia joins fight
• Businesses, schools close, air travel disrupted in Israel
• WFP raises alarm over food crisis in Gaza
Israeli troops pounded Gaza yesterday after suffering its bloodiest attack in decades as death toll following Hamas fighters rampaged through Israeli towns rises to 600 and dozens abducted.
More than 370 people in Gaza have been killed in retaliatory Israeli strikes in the spiralling violence that threatened a major new Middle East war. 400 Palestinian gunmen have been killed and dozens arrested during the fighting in Israel, according to the Israeli military.
At least 600 people were killed, according to reports by Israeli TV stations. However, as at press time, Israel has not released an official toll. That Israel was caught completely off guard was lamented as one of the worst intelligence failures in its history, a shock to a nation that boasts of its intensive infiltration and monitoring of militants.
Palestinian fighters overran army bases and invaded border towns and escaped back into Gaza with dozens of hostages, including both soldiers and civilians. The attack by Hamas launched at dawn on Saturday represented the biggest and deadliest incursion into Israel since Egypt and Syria launched a sudden assault in an effort to reclaim lost territory in the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago.
Hamas gunmen cut through the heavily fortified fence that lines Gaza’s perimeter and crossed into southern Israel on motorbikes, paragliders and by sea. Hamas said it would issue a statement on how many captives it had seized.
In a sign the conflict could spread beyond blockaded Gaza, Israel and Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militia exchanged artillery and rocket fire, while in Alexandria, two Israeli tourists were shot dead along with their Egyptian guide.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed “mighty vengeance for this black day”. He said on Saturday night that Israel was going into a “long and difficult war”. He also warned Hamas, which governs Gaza, that its hideouts would be reduced to “rubble”.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said the assault that began in Gaza would spread to the West Bank and Jerusalem. Gazans have lived under an Israeli-led blockade for 16 years, since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007.
“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 queried.
Meanwhile, as at press time, Israeli security forces were carrying out operations to rescue hostages taken by Palestinian militants from Gaza and clear areas they seized on Saturday. The military said troops had secured 22 locations by yesterday morning but were still sweeping through another eight.
Schools were shut and many companies gave workers the day off, and most stores other than supermarkets and pharmacies were closed. Israel’s Manufacturers’ Association said factories were still operating to limit concerns over any scarcity of food and other essential products.
Israeli stock and bond prices slid and many businesses were closed yesterday. Key Tel Aviv share indices (.TA125), (.TA35) ended nearly 7% lower, led by a 9% drop in banking shares (.TELBANK5) on turnover of 2.2 billion shekels ($573 million), and government bond prices fell as much as 3% in the market’s initial response to the bloodiest attack on Israel in decades.
While the foreign exchange market was closed yesterday, the shekel was already at its weakest level of the year due to a highly contested government plan to overhaul the judiciary.
Airlines in Israel including Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) said flights to and from Israel to New York and Atlanta were cancelled through Monday (today), while United Airlines (UAL.O) said, “future operations at TLV (airport) will be suspended until conditions allow them to resume.” Air India said flights to and from Tel Aviv would be suspended until Oct. 14.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
