In the last 6 days, the largest confrontation between Palestinians and the Israeli occupation army since the 1973 Yom Kippur War has unfolded. Since the surprise attack by Hamas on October 7, Zionist forces have unleashed a ferocious bombardment of Gaza and prepares a land invasion that will perpetrate a new genocide. The peoples of the world cannot remain silent, we have the duty to surround the Palestinian people with solidarity and confront the genocidal attempts of the State of Israel.
We present a chronicle of the main events with reports from ISL correspondents in the region.
Saturday October 7
At approximately 6:30 a.m. local time, Hamas launched “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm,” firing thousands of missiles and then storming into Israel with commando groups on multiple fronts. After numerous clashes with Israeli military, police and armed settlers in Erez Crossing, Nahal Oz, Magen, Kibbutz Beeri, Kfar Azz and the military bases of Rehim and Ziiki, the fighters withdrew to Gaza, taking dozens of military and civilian prisoners.
The attack took the State of Israel by surprise, generating a crisis in its government and armed forces by shattering its invincible image. The event was celebrated massively in Palestine and throughout the Arab world. Many young people in Gaza spontaneously joined the operation to tear down sectors of the infamous wall that surrounds the entire Gaza Strip.
The US government and leaders of world powers immediately sided with Israel, promising whatever help was needed to stop “terrorism.”
At approximately 10:30 am local time, Israel began its counterattack, launching airstrikes against civilian targets in Gaza including hospitals and ambulances and artillery against southern Lebanon. Shortly afterward, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the country was “at war” and that the Palestinians would suffer an unprecedented attack.
The head of the Zionist army announced massive bombings and cynically asked the civilian population to leave Gaza, knowing that its more than 2 million inhabitants have no possibility of breaking through the siege imposed by Israel itself.
12 hours after the start of the conflict, a spokesperson for the Israeli army acknowledged that fighting continued in 22 Israeli towns.
On the very night of the 7th, the International Socialist League published its international declaration on the conflict in Spanish, English, Arabic, French, German and Portuguese, pointing out the responsibility of Zionism and expressing solidarity with Palestine.
Sunday October 8
As fighting continued, Israel’s security cabinet approved the state of war that Netanyahu had promised a day earlier, including measures like cutting off electricity, water, goods and fuel to Gaza.
Images emerged showing Zionist forces dropping white phosphorus bombs, an incendiary chemical weapon prohibited by numerous international treaties, on Gaza.
The United Nations Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA) said that nearly 74,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been forced to flee to save their lives.
The United States announced the transfer of an aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean to support Israel.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi declared that he “supports the legitimate defense of the Palestinian nation.”
Monday October 9
Israel’s Defense Minister ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza, mobilizing thousands of troops and tanks in the attempt to regain control of the border, while the aerial attack on the Palestinian population continued. He stated that “There will be no electricity, no food, no gas, everything is closed. We are fighting against human animals and we act accordingly,” attempting to justify the genocide they are preparing.
He also announced the possibility of a ground intervention in Gaza, to which Hamas threatened to execute hostages and spread the word if it came to fruition.
The Israeli military acknowledged that Hamas had taken at least 100 hostages.
Netanyahu gave another public speech late in the afternoon, saying that Israel had “barely begun” its offensive against Hamas. “What we will do to our enemies in the coming days will resonate with them for generations,” he said.
Russian Government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow is not on the Palestinian side, expressing concern about the situation representing a “great danger for the region.”
Israel intensified its attack on Lebanese territory. The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees reported that its emergency shelters are at 90% capacity, with more than 137,000 people seeking shelter.
Tuesday October 10
Reports announcing the end of ground fighting were contradicted when Hamas militants engaged in combat near Kibbutz Mefalsim.
Nighttime bombing killed two senior Hamas members, Economy Minister Jawad Abu Shammala and senior Hamas political bureau member Zachariah Abu Maamar.
Some rockets were also fired from Syria.
Jordan announced the opening of its bases to American aircraft to provide military support to Israel against Palestine, thus making Jordan the first Arab country to enter the war alongside the United States of America.
The reports of dead, wounded and hostages are released every day. At the end of Tuesday, the count since the beginning of the conflict reached more than 1,200 Israeli deaths and 950 Palestinian deaths, with several thousand wounded on each side and 150 hostages taken by Hamas.
Wednesday October 11
Gaza’s only power plant ran out of fuel, forcing it to shut down. Only generators power the territory, leaving many in the dark as residents face blackouts.
The United States announced that it will meet with the president of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas (opposed to Hamas) and with Israeli authorities.
The number of displaced people exceeds 330,000. There are cross accusations about massacres in different kibbutzim and on the Palestinian side. The Zionist army called up 300,000 reservists.
Thursday October 12
Israel extended the conflict to Syria, bombing the landing strips of the Aleppo and Damascus international airports, which were damaged and left out of service.
The hashtag #Friday_Across the Border is trending on social media in Jordan, following calls for a public uprising and march to the Israeli border the following morning, in support of the besieged Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
The Jordanian government banned demonstrations at the border.
Clashes between Palestinians and Israeli occupation forces spread to the West Bank.
The Zionist army recognizes it has already dropped 4,000 tons of explosives on the Gaza Strip.
Reuters: Britain will send two warships to the Mediterranean and begin air sorties as part of its military support for Israel.
AP: Israeli bombings have leveled entire neighborhoods in Gaza. The dead exceed 1,400, 60% of them women and children.
The Minister of Communication of the Israeli government resigned.
In the midst of a heavy nighttime bombardment against the population of Gaza, the Israeli army informed the United Nations of the need for residents of the northern Gaza Strip to move south within 24 hours. The request is cynically impossible, as recognized by numerous international mass media.
United Nations Spokesperson: The number of people requested by the Israeli army to move to the southern Gaza Strip is 1.1 million people.
The Israeli army, which already concentrates hundreds of thousands of soldiers, tanks and all its military power on the border with Gaza, awaits political approval to begin a ground invasion and perpetrate a new genocide.
Friday October 13
After cynically requesting that the million inhabitants of Gaza City evacuate to the south, the Israeli army attacked several cars carrying civilians who were trying to carry out the evacuation, killing 40 and wounding 150.
Israel officially declares the West Bank a closed military zone. Clashes are reported in Jenin, Tulkarm, Hebron, Qalqilya, Nablus, Ramallah, Jericho and Bethlehem.
The Al-Qassam Brigades announce the death of 13 prisoners, including foreigners, in the intense Zionist bombing of the North and Gaza Governorates during the last 24 hours, 6 of whom died in two separate locations of the North Governorate, and 7 in 3 different locations of the Gaza Governorate that were affected by the barbaric Zionist bombing.
Statement issued by the Lebanese Army Command: On 10/13/2023, the Israeli enemy, on the outskirts of the city of Alma al-Shaab, attacked an unoccupied Lebanese Army guard tower, used circumstantially during the implementation of missions and security measures, without causing recorded casualties among the ranks of the soldiers.
Israeli forces attacked the Reuters team in Alma Al-Shaab, southern Lebanon, killing the outlet’s photographer, journalist Issam Abdullah. Another journalist victim of the attack, AFP’s Carmen Joukhadar, had her leg amputated immediately after being taken to hospital.
The Lebanese army responded with artillery bombardments against Israeli army positions. New Israeli bombings were recorded against Aita al-Shaab, southern Lebanon. Some young people blew up the border fence between Lebanon and the occupied territories.
Human Rights Watch confirmed that Israel used white phosphorus to bomb Lebanon and Gaza.
Israeli forces will prepare their announced land invasion and the genocide it implies. Al Awda Hospital was notified to evacuate the hospital plaza and Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karei reported: “We have made the decision to stop providing Internet services to Internet companies in the Gaza Strip, effective 00:00 hours on 10/14/2023, and to prohibit all types of services provided by Israeli Internet Service Providers in Gaza.”
The president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, blamed the entire Gaza Strip for the Hamas attack, seeking to justify in advance the genocide that he is preparing to commit. “There is an entire nation out there that is responsible. That civilians were not aware or informed of what was going to happen is completely false,” he stated in a press conference with foreign media.
Massive mobilizations in support of Palestine were carried out in Iraq, Jordan and other countries. Throughout the world, important sectors carry out solidarity actions. The people of the world have the duty to promote international mobilization in support of the Palestinian people and to stop the Zionist genocide.