2023 Invasion of Israel (World War III in The Pearl World)

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==Main Conflict==
On 7 October 2023, Palestinian militant groups from the Gaza Strip launched a large-scale armed offensive against Israel, breaking through the Gaza–Israel barrier and forcing entry into Gaza border crossings, nearby Israeli cities, adjacent military installations, and civilian settlements. It is the first direct conflict within Israel's de jure territory since the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Hostilities were initiated in the early morning with a rocket barrage against Israel and vehicle-transported incursions into Israeli territory, with a number of attacks having been carried out on Israeli civilian communities and the Israeli military. Some observers have referred to these events as the beginning of a third Palestinian intifada.
Organizations that have taken part in the Palestinian assault include Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. In an emergency meeting in the West Bank shortly after the attacks began, Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority expressed support for the Gazan infiltration, stating that Palestinians had the right to defend themselves against the Israeli occupation. In Israel, all major opposition parties have advocated for the formation of a national unity government to combat the Palestinian offensive.
At least 2,200 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip as Hamas militants broke through the border and entered Israel, killing at least 300 Israelis and prompting Israel's government to declare a state of emergency; Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel "is at war" in a national address following the beginning of the attacks. Palestinian militants who infiltrated Israel made their way into several kibbutzim near the Gaza Strip as well as the Israeli city of Sderot. Israel Defense Forces killed at least 256 Palestinians in gunfights and by airstrikes, including civilians and 20 children. According to the the top Palestinian health official in Gaza, most of the casualties were from firefights in Israel. Both Palestinian and Israeli media sources reported that Israeli civilians and soldiers, including children, had been taken hostage by Palestinian militants; several of these hostages have reportedly since been taken to the Gaza Strip. Numerous cases of violence against Israeli women and massacres of Israeli civilians have also been reported since the beginning of the Palestinian offensive.
Northern American and most European countries condemned the Palestinian side for the violence and described the tactics used as terrorism, while some Arab and Muslim countries blamed the Israeli occupation for the escalation. Numerous other countries called for de-escalation.
==Background==
See also: Gaza-Israel Conflict, July 2023 Jenin incursion, and 2023 Al-Aqsa clashes
The Gaza Strip and Israel have been in conflict since the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005 and Hamas gaining control of the Gaza Strip after elections in 2006 and a civil war with Fatah in 2007. The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since 2007, because it refused to stop violent actions. Furthermore, Gaza is closed off from the rest of the world and access to resources including food, water, and electricity are almost entirely controlled by Israel . The blockade has caused significant economic hardship upon the Palestinians, and was cited by Hamas as one of the reasons for its offensive.
The Palestinian militant groups dubbed their assault Operation Al-Aqsa Deluge (or Flood) (Arabic: عملية طوفان الأقصى, romanized: ʿamaliyyat ṭūfān al-ʾAqṣā), while Israel announced the beginning of a counteroffensive effort called Operation Swords of Iron (Hebrew: מבצע חרבות ברזל, romanized: Mivtsa Charvot Barzel). The beginning of the Palestinian assault coincided with the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1973 Arab–Israeli War. Several news agencies and observers have described the ongoing conflict as the Third Intifada.
The attack took place during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah and Shabbat, and a day after the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, which also began with a surprise attack. The attack followed three weeks of violence at the Israel–Gaza separation fence. Hamas and Israel had recently negotiated a truce, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United Nations, on 29 September. Prior to the attack and including combatants and civilians on both sides, at least 247 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli forces in 2023, while 32 Israelis and two foreign nationals had been killed in Palestinian attacks.
Israel and Saudi Arabia are conducting negotiations to normalize relations, with Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman recently stating that normalization was "for the first time, real". Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it had "repeatedly warned that Israel's ongoing occupation of Gaza would propel further violence."
The commander of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Mohammed Deif, said that the attack was in response to "desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque," and called on Palestinians and Arab Israelis to "expel the occupiers and demolish the walls". Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri said the operation was a response "to the crimes of the occupation", adding that fighters were defending the Al-Aqsa Mosque and thousands of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, which was estimated by the prisoners' rights NGO Addameer to be nearly 5,200, including 33 women, 170 minors and more than 1,200 who were under administrative detention. A spokesperson for Palestinian Islamic Jihad stated that they do not consider Israeli citizens to be civilians: "We are not killing civilians. This is a military society. They are the ones who elect their governments."
==Israeli Attack of the Gaza Strip==
==Israeli Invasion of Iran==
On November 3, 2023, Israeli Forces Struck Iranian Nuclear Missile facilities, and attacked the power grid. The result led to engagements with American Soldiers in Iraq. On November 14, 2023, U.S . Forces and Israeli Forces launched an Invasion of Iran. Israeli and American forces arrived from bases in Saudi Arabia, attacking mainly by sea. Coalition fighters seized much of the Western Coast, but were held back by Iran's Military and Civilian Resistance Forces.
President Biden authorized air strikes on Iranian Cities on November 4th. U.S. Military forces were overwhelmed and pushed back to defensive positions in Western Iran. Ukrainian Special Ops forces also participated in the Iranian Invasion, launching raids on Shahed Manufacturing Plants with the assistance of U.S. Military Personnel.
==World War III==
See Also: Syrian Incident (World War III in The Pearl World)
On November 7, 2023, U.S. and Israeli forces launched a raid on Hezbollah positions in Southern Syria. The raid was initially successful, but Russian forces had entered the conflict to help reinforce security on Syrian bases, and a small group of Russian soldiers chose to engage American fighters, resulting in a standoff between American and Russian forces, that ended in an air battle. Russian fighters downed an American F-16 Fighter, but U.S. Forces wiped out the Russian and Syrian Militants in a matter of minutes 
The Incident was initially discussed diplomatically, but talks fell apart, and Russian forces formally declared war on NATO and Israel on November 8, 2023.
Category:Scenario: The Pearl World