On Sunday, the Israeli Shayetet 13 naval unit detained Hamas' Deputy Commander of the Southern Division, Muhamad Abu Ghali.
The Israeli Defense Force told The Times of Israel, “The suspect is being held and is currently being interrogated by the defense establishment."
Hamas' attack on Isreal Saturday left at least 600 people dead, and over 2,000 people injured. 260 of those killed were attending a music festival when militants opened fire on the crowd. An attendee told Human Events it was too late by the time they realized something was wrong.
"It wasn’t until the first shots and screams that people began to realize something was wrong I think. Nobody noticed them until it was too late. They were right there with us," she said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war by invoking Article 40 for the first time since 1973. He said Saturday evening that the military will destroy Hamas' capabilities. “All the places that Hamas hides in, operates from, we will turn them into ruins,” he said.
He told Gaza residents to "get out of there now" during the address.
In another statement to the citizens of Israel on Saturday, Netanyahu said, "Citizens of Israel, we are at war, not in an operation or in rounds, but at war. This morning, Hamas launched a murderous surprise attack against the State of Israel and its citizens. We have been in this since the early morning hours. I convened the heads of the security establishment and ordered – first of all – to clear out the communities that have been infiltrated by terrorists. This is currently being carried out. At the same time, I have ordered an extensive mobilization of reserves and that we return fire of a magnitude that the enemy has not known. The enemy will pay an unprecedented price. In the meantime, I call on the citizens of Israel to strictly adhere to the directives of the IDF and Home Front Command. We are at war and we will win it."
The White House said in a statement from NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson, "We stand firmly with the Government and people of Israel and extend our condolences for the Israeli lives lost in these attacks. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has spoken to Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi and we remain in close contact with our Israeli partners."
