Hamas launches surprise attack as gunmen enter Israel
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years on Saturday in a surprise assault that combined gunmen crossing into several Israeli towns with a heavy barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.
![Hamas launches surprise attack as gunmen enter Israel](https://i.cbc.ca/1.6990211.1696670444!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/israel-palestinians.jpg)
![Cars are burning after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit a parking lot and a residential building in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. The rockets were fired as Hamas announced a new operation against Israel. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov) Black smoke rises from burning cars.](https://i.cbc.ca/1.6990211.1696670444!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/israel-palestinians.jpg)
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years on Saturday in a surprise assault that combined gunmen crossing into several Israeli towns with a heavy barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.