Israelʼs political-military cabinet voted to introduce Article 40 Aleph, which means an official declaration of war. It was last used in 1973, during the Doomsday War.
It stipulates that "a state will not initiate war or take significant military actions that may with a high degree of probability lead to war, except in the event of a government decision to do so."
The official representative of the Israel Defense Forces, Richard Hecht, said that within the next 12 hours, Jerusalem plans to launch a military operation that will put an end to the Gaza enclave.
"We have targets for the next 12 hours. End the Gaza enclave. Take control of the entire enclave and destroy all terrorists on our territory," he said.
Now the IDF has full freedom of action, but it is obliged to report to the political leadership, the state radio station Kan reported.
Meanwhile, the number of Israelis killed since the attack began on October 7 has exceeded 500, the Times of Israel reported. According to the Ministry of Health, 2,048 people were injured, 330 of them have serious injuries, and 20 people are in critical condition.
What is happening in Israel?
On the morning of October 7, the Palestinian movement Hamas attacked Israel, announcing the start of the military operation "Al-Aqsa Flood". In response, Israel announced the start of a counter-terrorist operation in the Gaza Strip called "Iron Swords." Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu said in an address to citizens that the country is "at war and will win".