Operation Iron Swords continues: what happened in Israel overnight and whether IDF managed to stop Hamas attacks. Photo and video

As of the morning of October 8, Israel has been at war for a day. The country has been subjected to massive rocket attacks and invasion by Palestinian terrorists from the Gaza Strip.

In response to the attack, the Israeli Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords and killed hundreds of terrorists in a matter of hours. OBOZREVATEL analyzed the most important events in Israel on the night of October 7-8 (scroll to the bottom of the page to see photos and videos).

It is worth noting that despite the rocket attacks on the center of Israel, residents of the southern settlements located near the border with the Gaza Strip suffered from terrorists the most. The militants entered the towns and shot everyone in a row. The terrorists also kidnapped hundreds of people. Therefore, the IDF is faced with the task of not only clearing the territories of terrorists but also releasing hostages.

Despite the significant success of the IDF on the evening of October 7, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the country was entering a long and difficult war.

"The war was imposed on us because of the deadly Hamas attack. The first phase is now ending with the destruction of most of the enemy forces that have infiltrated our territory. At the same time, we have launched an offensive, and it will continue without reservation and respite until we achieve our goals. We will restore the security of Israeli citizens and win," Netanyahu said.

The number of injured people in Israel increased significantly in the morning. According to the Ministry of Health, 1864 people were injured with varying degrees of severity: 19 in serious condition, 326 severely wounded, and 359 in moderate condition. In addition, at least 300 people were killed in terrorist attacks.

It also became known that Colonel Jonathan Steinberg, commander of the 933rd "Nahal" Brigade, was killed in a clash with terrorists. According to the Israeli Defense Forces, the officer was 42 years old.

In response to the terrorist attacks, Israeli fighter jets carried out a series of strikes on mosques in the Gaza Strip overnight. It is worth noting that Hamas terrorists used religious sites for military purposes. The IDF also reported the destruction of the Hamas intelligence headquarters, a military and air base, as well as banks that financed the terrorists' activities.

On the morning of October 8, Israeli warplanes continued to strike the Gaza Strip. The IDF stated that this was made possible by the nighttime evacuation of Israeli residents from the Gaza Strip.

A total of 426 targets in the Gaza Strip, including 10 Hamas towers, were reportedly hit by air strikes. Tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers are involved in Operation Iron Swords in the area around the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli Defense Forces also declared one of the areas of the Gaza Strip a closed military zone. Access to this area is currently strictly limited.

In turn, Palestinian terrorists do not stop firing missiles at Israel. At night, the Barzilai Medical Center in the south of the country came under attack. A few hours before the attack, the director of the medical center and his staff moved the patients to a safe place, so no casualties were reported. Hamas continues to fire indiscriminately at civilians, so the IDF promises to continue the operation until the terrorists are destroyed.

Read live: Second day of war in Israel: IDF manages to rescue a number of hostages, Netanyahu advises Gazans to "flee immediately"

As a reminder, the Taliban terrorist organization wants to join the war in Israel. The militants have called on Iran, Jordan and Iraq to let them into Israel to "conquer Jerusalem."

Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he had spoken with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and urged him to take steps to calm the situation. However, he responded by calling the United States the occupiers of Palestine.

As reported by OBOZREVATEL, Israel has extended the state of emergency to the entire territory of the country due to the Hamas attack. This significantly expands the powers of the police.

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