Israel was hit by an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip on October 7, with Hamas movement's troops infiltrating border areas. On October 8, the Israeli government announced that it had invoked Article 40 of the Basic Law, which means the country was officially in a state of war.

'We Have Right to Self-Defense': Palestine's Leader

12:51, 7 October 2023

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has held an emergency meeting with a number of officials during which he stressed the right of the Palestinian people to defend themselves against Israeli troops and settlers, the WAFA news agency reported on Saturday.

Sputnik

The Palestinian leader instructed the officials to provide whatever is necessary to strengthen the resilience of the Palestinian people, the news agency added.

In the meantime, the death toll in Israel from the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has risen to 20 as fighting spreads to East Jerusalem, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Saturday, citing emergency services.

Earlier in the day, The Times of Israel newspaper reported that the death toll in Israel from attacks carried out by Palestinian militant group Hamas had risen to six, with nearly 300 people injured.

On Saturday morning, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said militants infiltrated Israel and fired more than 1,000 rockets from Gaza into its territory. Following in the day, the IDF declared a "counterterrorist" operation against Hamas. The military wing of the Hamas movement, the Al-Qassam Brigades, in turn, announced an operation against Israel.