Gunfire, rockets and carnage: Israelis are stunned and shaken by unprecedented Hamas attack

By ISABEL DEBRE
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israelis huddled in bomb shelters pleading for help as Hamas fighters broke into their houses and shot at anyone they saw. Thousands of Israeli party-goers at a desert rave screamed and ran for their lives as bloodied victims collapsed around them. Family members searching for missing loved ones were shaken to recognize them in haunting social media videos showing Hamas militants taking terrified Israelis hostage. Israel is in shock, the unprecedented scenes of violence and chaos unfolding across the country’s south seared into people’s minds. Even the steely nerved residents of Israeli communities near Gaza described Saturday’s assault — with fighters entering their communities in pick-up trucks, on boats and by hang-gliders — as a nightmare come true.