Source: Arutz Sheva7, By Swords of Iron, October 7, 2023
Over 3,000 rockets fired towards Israel; Hamas kidnaps dozens; hostages in Be’eri and Ofakim.
Sirens sounded Saturday morning in Israeli cities and towns throughout the Jerusalem area, central Israel, and southern Israel, prompting the IDF to declare “Operation Swords of Iron.”
Multiple civilians reported hearing loud explosions in their immediate vicinity; as of 7:30p.m. on Saturday, at least 3,000 rockets had been fired towards Israeli civilians.
The barrages were fired as Jews around Israel celebrated the Simchat Torah holiday, and in many cases disrupted the holiday prayer services.
Parallel to the rocket attacks, dozens – perhaps hundreds – of terrorists infiltrated multiple Israeli communities, overtaking Israeli towns on the Gaza border and murdering Jews in nearby cities as well. Initial reports were that these attacks left at least 100 Israelis dead; an 8:00p.m. update raised the number of dead to 150.
Israel’s Health Ministry reported that 1,104 injured Israelis have been evacuated to hospitals. Of these, 17 are in critical condition, 200 are in serious condition, 226 are in moderate condition, 451 suffered only light injuries, 11 suffered shock, and 142 are being evaluated.
