What Happened in Israel?

Early Saturday morning, Hamas attacked Israel by land, air, and sea. In return, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war against Hamas. The terrorist-launched missile strikes and incursion killed hundreds of people, wounded thousands of people, and left too many people in the hands of the terrorists as hostages or prisoners of war.

In an article published in The Daily Signal, Tyler O’Neil listed five things that Americans should know about the attack and its consequences. Those five things are as follow: 

1. ‘This Is Our 9/11’

“This morning, on Shabbat and a holiday, Hamas invaded Israeli territory and murdered innocent citizens including children and the elderly,” Netanyahu said in a statement released to X (formerly Twitter) Saturday. “Hamas has started a brutal and evil war.”

Saturday marked the end of the Jewish festival of Sukkot, as well as the Sabbath, the day of rest proclaimed in Genesis 1 and ratified in the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20.

Between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. Saturday local time, Hamas militants crossed into Israel, according to The New York Times’ timeline. Militants slaughtered Israelis and took some hostage as rockets spread devastation ahead of their incursion.

According to The Times of Israel, officials said Hamas killed at least 700 Israelis, wounded 2,200, and kidnapped more than 100. Hamas reportedly fired more than 2,000 rockets in that time. The Israel Defense Force also says it “has killed more than 400 Palestinian terrorists, both in Israel and in strikes in Gaza,” according to The Times.

“They didn’t go for military targets – they went for civilians, they went for grandmothers, children, babies,” Israeli Defense Forces’ international spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said in a video message Sunday. “The numbers are unprecedented.” …

Heritage Foundation experts tied the attack to the Islamic Republic of Iran….

2. The Declaration of War

“Since this morning, the State of Israel has been at war,” Netanyahu said Saturday.

“Our first objective is to clear out the hostile forces that infiltrated our territory and restore the security and quiet to the communities that have been attacked,” he added.

“The second objective, at the same time, is to exact an immense price from the enemy within the Gaz Strip, as well. The third objective is to reinforce other fronts so that nobody should mistakenly join this war.”

Israel’s security cabinet voted to go to war for the first time since the Yom Kippur War in 1973….

3. The Counter-Attack

Israeli fighter jets hit their first targets in Gaza around 10:46 a.m. Saturday, according to The New York Times. The IDF sent troops to southern Israel to retake the towns seized by Hamas militants around noon.

On Sunday, the IDF reported that Israeli aircraft struck a launch site and the operational command center of the Hamas rocket system operatives right around midnight. Later that morning, Israeli aircraft struck two operational situation rooms, which Hamas operated inside of Gaza mosques. By 8 a.m., they struck Hamas’ intelligence headquarters.

On Sunday, the U.S. Navy began moving warships and aircraft closer to Israel, a U.S. military official told fox News Digital. The Pentagon has not clarified whether it would use military force to assist Israel in the conflict.

4. The World’s Response

The Biden administration rushed to condemn the Hamas attacks.

“The United States unequivocally condemns the unprovoked attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians. There is never any justification for terrorism,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement released at 2:30 p.m. Israel time. [Remember: the attack began between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. Israel time.]

At 2:30 p.m. Eastern time, Biden addressed the American people, condemning the attack and proclaiming that his administration’s “support for Israel’s security is rock solid and unwavering….”

The president said he had been in contact with the king of Jordan, and directed his team to “remain in constant contact” with leaders in Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and the Palestinian Authority.

Those countries did not condemn the Hamas attacks, but urged “restraint” on both sides….

Arabs, Muslims, and some left-leaning protesters in the U.S. and Europe celebrated that Hamas attacks.

5. Criticisms of Biden

Analysts and political candidates suggested that Hamas would not have attacked Israel had President Biden either not won in 2020 or had acted differently while in office….

The Heritage analysts referred to a prisoner exchange deal the Biden administration made with Iran. The Islamic republic freed 5 U.S. prisoners in exchange for a waiver giving Tehran access to $6 billion in oil revenue that U.S. sanctions had previously blocked….

Only idiots would believe that Iran did not use $6 billion in supporting Hamas in their attack on Israel. It may not be the exact dollars, but money is fungible. The $6 billion from Biden could “free up other assets for Iran to use to support Hamas.”

It is good for Americans to remember that there were no wars during the four-year Trump administration, and there was peace in the Middle East. In less than three years, the Biden administration has faced a long war in Ukraine and this attack on Israel. How many more wars will start before Biden leaves office?