Hamas made grave mistake by attacking Israel: Israeli defense minister

JERUSALEM

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Saturday that Hamas made a "grave mistake" by launching rocket attacks against Israel and infiltrating into towns on the border with the Gaza Strip.

“Hamas made a grave mistake this morning and started a war against the State of Israel,” Gallant said in a statement, according to the daily Times of Israel.

Gallant stressed that the Israeli soldiers “are fighting the enemy at all the infiltration sites.”

“The State of Israel will win this war,” he added.

The defense minister urged Israeli citizens to comply with security instructions.

The Israeli army has declared a “state of readiness” for war after Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip fired an intense barrage of rockets early Saturday toward Israel, according to the Israel Broadcasting Authority.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, announced starting an operation with rockets targeting enemy sites, airports, and military installations.

The Israeli Radio reported that a number of Palestinian gunmen sneaked into Israeli areas adjacent to the Gaza Strip.

Israel deployed its forces to deal with the Palestinian gunmen's infiltration from Gaza, the Army Radio added.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi​​​​​​​