NAIROBI – Israel Ambassador to Kenya Michael Lotem on Monday said approximately 1,000 Hamas militants infiltrated Israel through eight-10 different points and launched the attack on Saturday.
Speaking on Spice FM, Ambassador Lotem said so far, the Israeli government knows of more than 700 Israeli civilians who have been killed.
“I am talking about kids that were shot in bed, elderly people, people who were going to pray because it was the last day of sukkot, the holy day of tabernacle, and that reminds us 50 years back of the Yom Kippur War,” the envoy said.
He added that the attack has extended from Palestine, as rockets have been launched from Lebanon, where Hezbollah has taken responsibility.
“We still have more than 2,000 injured, we still have fighting in three locations in the south inside Israel. There were rockets launched from Lebanon and Hezbollah took responsibility. And also in Egypt, a policeman opened fire on bus carrying Israeli tourists killing an Egyptian guide and two Israelis,” the Ambassador said.
He added that about 100 people have been taken hostage in Gaza, including families with children> He said two children aged 7 and nine were shot at.
Asked whether a two-state solution would resolve the conflict, Ambassador Lotem said it remains a process.
Ambassador Lotem said according to his guts, the ongoing war with Hamas will strengthen relations with the Palestine Authority.
He, however, said Hamas will be dealt a big blow, and that it will be a lesson to many, including Hezbollah.
The Israeli military on Monday said it struck hundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip overnight and had sent four combat divisions south where it continued to battle Islamist militants two days after a bloody incursion.
A military spokesperson said fighting was ongoing at seven or eight locations near Gaza two days after gunmen from Hamas killed 700 Israelis and abducted dozens more in the deadliest raid into Israeli territory since Egypt and Syria’s attacks in the Yom Kippur war in 1973.
