Israel attack: Envoy says there could have been an intelligence failure

An Israeli tank was captured and destroyed near the Gaza Strip. [Getty Images]

Israel Ambassador to Kenya Michael Lotem now says there could have been a military intelligence failure that has seen Palestine armed group Hamas launch massive attacks within Israel.

Lotem in an interview with The Standard said although the Israeli military is moving swiftly through counter-attacks, the Israeli government is doing an assessment to establish where the breach would have occurred.

"We are not ruling out another failure in the intelligence systems because the Hamas groups hide behind civilians and have mastered the art of concealing their activities. An assessment will be done and necessary measures taken," he said.

Lotem added, "This is not the first time we are having a crisis with Gaza, only that this time we are going deep to uproot the problem that has persisted for too long."

The envoy said the unprecedented attack comes 50 years after the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

"The attacks started at around 6.30am when most Israelis were asleep. The nation had just celebrated 50 years after the Yom Kippur War and today is also another festivity for the Jews," he said.

According to Lotem, the militants launched over 5,000 missiles and rockets in what has been termed a camouflage for a bigger attack.

Aljazeera has reported that the attack has left at least 22 people dead and scores injured.

Ambassador Lotem said efforts to de-escalate this conflict have been made since 1993 but in vain.

"There is no partner on the other end. The Hamas which rules Gaza and whose policies are dictated by proxies, declares clearly that its aim is to destroy Israel," he said.

Lotem also said the only challenge they have had while dealing with the armed group is because it operates from the underground city of Gaza.

While terming the attack as a provocation, Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned Hamas that it had made a "grave mistake" in infiltrating Israeli territory.

His sentiments were echoed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who declared that the country was "at war"

"Citizens of Israel, we are at war - not in an operation, not in rounds - at war," Netanyahu said in a video message.

According to CNN, Hamas, the Palestinian militant movement that runs Gaza, claimed responsibility for the rocket attack and called for a general uprising against Israel.

"If you have a gun, get it out. This is the time to use it - get out with trucks, cars, axes, today the best and most honorable history starts," CNN quoted Hamas military commander Muhammad Al-Deif who spoke in a recorded message.

Dubbing the operation "Al-Aqsa Storm," he said that the group had "targeted the enemy positions, airports and military positions with 5,000 rockets" and that the assault on Israel was a response to attacks on women, the desecration of the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and the ongoing siege of Gaza.