Hamas fired a huge barrage of rockets into southern Israel on October 7.
Days after Hamas launched an attack on Israel, satellite images shared by the Israel Defence Forces captured the extent of devastation in the country on the first day of the attack. The IDF said on Monday that Hamas' willingness to commit war crimes is even visible from outer space. "The lengths Hamas is willing to go in order to commit war crimes are visible even from outer space," they said on X, formerly Twitter while sharing the image.
The satellite image shows how Israel looked before and after Hamas' attacks on October 7. In the image, black and grey smoke is seen covering a large part of the area.
A surprise attack by Hamas fighters on Israel left hundreds of Israelis dead on Saturday, October 7, prompting Israel to respond with intense airstrikes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to demolish Hamas strongholds in Gaza, reducing them to rubble, as the conflict continues to escalate. "We are at war and we will win," he asserted, adding, "Not an 'operation,' not a 'round,' but at war."
At 6.30 a.m. on Saturday, Hamas fired a huge barrage of rockets into southern Israel. Air raid sirens across Israel shattered the morning silence and the Iron Dome system, one of the best air defence systems in the world, was again in action. The group launched 5,000 rockets and in response, Israel's military fired 2,500 rockets. Reuters report said that smoke billowed over residential Israeli areas and people sheltered behind buildings as sirens were heard.
The terrorists - travelling in vehicles, boats and motorised paragliders - also breached the security barriers using the rocket barrage as cover and attacked nearby Israeli towns and military posts, opening fire on civilians. Several videos on social media showed Hamas fighters in Israel border towns shooting at residents and passersby.
The Hamas attack came 50 years and a day after Egyptian and Syrian forces launched an assault during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur in an effort to retrieve territory Israel had taken during a brief conflict in 1967.
Meanwhile, according to the United Nations, over one million Palestinians have been displaced from their homes in the northern Gaza Strip since Israel launched its air campaign against the Palestinian organisation Hamas. The Israeli military has amassed armoured vehicles on the outskirts of Gaza in preparation for a ground-based assault. Israel says it is striking back at Hamas and targetting its operatives and operational centres in retaliation to the attacks that saw over 1,400 Israelis dead and hundreds kidnapped.