Israeli army: Infiltration came from land, air and sea

The Israeli military spokesperson has said Palestinian fighters infiltrated Israeli cities through land, air and sea in the ongoing assault.

According to the Ynet news website, the spokesperson said small vessels came from the sea, paragliders landed from the air and dozens of fighters entered through the fence separating Israel from Gaza, after using explosives to destroy the barriers.

The spokesperson added they suspect other fighters may have entered through tunnels.

Hamas' military wing Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades released footage earlier showing its fighters using paragliders flying over the border fence. Middle East Eye could not independently verify whether the video was pre-recorded or not.

Al-Qassam Brigades also released footage of its fighters taking over Israeli military posts and sites near the border fence.

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At least 20 Israelis have been killed in the attacks, according to emergency services. Hundreds more have been wounded with the numbers likely to rise.

Qassam Brigades spokesperson says fight 'ongoing'

Abu Ubaida, the military spokesman of the Al-Qassam Brigades, called on people to rally to liberate al-Aqsa Mosque and says that the fight is “still ongoing”.

“Contribute to the honour and bring the occupation to its knees,” he said in his speech.

“Operations are taking place on the ground in all areas as planned, and the occupation knows nothing about the results of them,” he added.

Netanyahu: 'We are at war, this is not an operation'

Over three hours after the attack started, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement in a video posted on X, formerly known as twitter.

“We are at war, this is not an operation,” he said.

“Hamas has launched a murderous surprise attack against the State of Israel and its citizens. Firstly, I have ordered for all of the settlements to be cleansed of the terrorists who have infiltrated and I have ordered for a large-scale mobilisation of reserves. The enemy will pay a price he has never known."

MEE