Hamas Leader: Israel Cannot Protect Arab Allies Amid Surprise Offensive

"We tell all countries, including our Arab brothers, that this entity, which cannot protect itself from the resistance, cannot provide you with any protection," said Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas, in a televised speech, adding that all the normalization agreements that Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan have signed with Israel cannot solve the Palestinian conflict.

These statements follow the launch since Gaza of a surprise and spectacular military offensive by Hamas on Saturday, October 7 - the last day of the Jewish Sukkot holidays in Israel - towards Israeli localities. Mohammad Deif, head of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of this movement, announced in an audio message broadcast by Hamas television that he had launched the "Al-Aqsa Deluge" operation against Israel before 6:30 a.m. (3:30 GMT). In total, more than "5,000 rockets" were fired. "We have decided to put an end to all the crimes of the occupation (Israel)," he added.

The Israeli retaliation did not wait. The Israeli army launched "Operation Steel Swords". It carried out air strikes on Gaza. "We are at war, this is not just an operation or a cycle of violence, but a war," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The toll of the fighting is heavy. There are "more than 200 dead" and "more than 1,000 injured" on the Israeli side, according to the latest figures communicated by the IDF. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 313 people have died in this outbreak of violence in Gaza. The number of injured is 1,990.