Huge Ball Of Fire And Smoke As Israel Strikes Hamas Target In Gaza

Visuals show a huge ball of fire and smoke billowing into the sky.

Israel struck 500 Hamas targets overnight as the death count in the country’s war with Gaza climbed to more than 1,100.

More than 700 Israelis have been killed since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Saturday.

In retaliation, Israeli air strikes have hammered the impoverished and blockaded Gaza Strip, an enclave of 2.3 million people, with officials there reporting at least 413 Palestinian deaths.

“Overnight IDF fighter jets, helicopters, aircraft and artillery struck over 500 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip,” the military said in a statement.

A video, which is going viral on social media, captures the moment when the airstrike targeted a weapon depot in Gaza, causing a large explosion. Visuals show a huge ball of fire and smoke billowing into the sky.

Israeli Airstrikes just now near the Shore in Central Gaza causing a Large Explosion with multiple Secondaries suggesting a Weapons Depot was Struck. pic.twitter.com/W5EZXQDESa

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) October 9, 2023

Hamas fighters fired thousands of rockets and breached Gaza’s security barrier, attacking nearby Israeli towns and military posts. They also opened fire on residents and passersby. The group labelled its attack “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” and called on “resistance fighters in the West Bank” as well as in “Arab and Islamic nations” to join the battle. 

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to turn Hamas hideouts “to rubble” and urged Palestinians there to flee.

More than 20,000 people in Gaza have been displaced due to fighting, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said.

Israel’s allies have responded by pledging fresh support, to confront what US President Jo Biden branded an “unprecedented terrorist assault” by Hamas.