Unveiling Unprecedented Footage: Unraveling Hamas' Startling Attack on Israel

A surprise attack occurred at dawn on Saturday, when armed militants from Gaza breached the border fence and launched an assault on Israel. CNN has verified propaganda videos that confirm the incident, revealing that an unknown number of Israeli soldiers were killed and hostages were taken. The attack appeared to catch Israeli soldiers at border posts off guard, as the militants utilized drones, rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank guided missiles, and assault weapons, as depicted in videos released by Hamas on social media.

The militants seized control of military bases near the border, seizing military vehicles and incinerating tanks. In certain instances, fighters pushed several miles into nearby communities adjacent to the security fence that divides Gaza and Israel, holding civilians hostage.

CNN has scrutinized almost twelve Hamas propaganda videos, employing analysis and geolocation techniques to reconstruct events in crucial areas. These videos, disseminated by Hamas on their social media platforms, had undergone extensive modifications by the terrorist organization.

Beeri

At a music festival taking place in close proximity to the border, a number of festival-goers informed CNN that they initially became aware of the attack due to the audible sound of rockets.

A video shared on a Hamas social media account depicts an incident where a drone captured an attack on an Israeli tank near a particular section of the border fence. Meanwhile, another video shows smoke rising from a recently breached fence. This footage reveals the burning of an Israeli tank in close proximity to that breach.

According to witnesses at the concert, gunfire erupted approximately half an hour after the initial sounds of rockets and explosions. Two attendees informed CNN that they had started evacuating the area due to the rocket attacks but found themselves having to flee from bullets as well.

The IDF reported that the militants successfully pushed forward to a kibbutz located approximately three miles southeast from the Gaza border.

CNN's videos, with geolocation, depict armed militants progressing through the Beeri kibbutz and seizing several Israelis. As of now, the whereabouts of these hostages remain unknown. However, CNN has verified that armed militants paraded some of the festival attendees in Gaza.

The Erez Crossing

CNN has released a geolocated video depicting the infiltration of Gaza militants into the Erez military facility by breaching the border using explosives. Situated between the Gaza Strip and Israel, the Erez Crossing serves as the primary border crossing point.

The fighters are observed attacking a guard tower and entering what seems to be the residential area of the military base.

The first-person-view footage progresses with a gunman firing at a wounded man lying on the ground, as other militants seize two Israeli men as captives.

As the fighters move deeper inside the base, grabbing an Israeli flag and taking over an Israeli jeep, several lifeless bodies can be seen on the ground.

Near Beit Lahia, Gaza

A video shared by Hamas captures the flight of two paragliders just moments after they took off, heading towards Zikim, a kibbutz located near the border. In the background, a series of rockets can be seen being launched at the northern edge of a field, near Beit Lahia in Gaza, as they fly in a northerly direction.

CNN has geolocated this video as the earliest visual evidence of paragliders during the attack.

It remains uncertain whether the two Hamas assailants claimed to be killed by the IDF on Zikim Beach were the same individuals seen paragliding in the footage. This incident seems to mark Hamas' furthest incursion into Israeli territory from the north.

Nahal Oz

Dozens of Gaza fighters - armed with guns, grenades and bomb-dropping drones - also took control of a military base outside of Nahal Oz,a video geolocated by CNN shows.

Militants killed a minimum of two Israeli soldiers, while videos depict at least six female soldiers from the base being captured. The attack ensued as armed men covertly traversed between two hills adjacent to a gate along the Israel-Gaza border fence. Subsequently, they are observed approaching and progressing beyond a watchtower, with the military base's prominent communication tower visible in the distance.

The militants, dressed in dark clothes, can be observed advancing towards the base in the captured footage.

An additional video, recorded by an armed drone during the same period, seems to capture the initiation of the ambush. Three Israeli soldiers, standing near a van on the southern section of the base, are visible before the drone releases a minimum of two bombs onto them. One soldier seems to be severely wounded, and the trio subsequently seeks shelter beside a nearby military vehicle.

In one video, militants are seen hurling a grenade onto a moving Israeli military vehicle situated near the base. The exact number of troops stationed at the base and the occurrence of substantial firefights remain uncertain based on the available footage.

Another video depicts multiple individuals, some potentially engaged in looting, atop and in the vicinity of a few tanks located within the base premises. Additionally, a dense cloud of black smoke can be observed.

Sufa

Another video shared by Hamas shows assailants near an opening in a fence close to the kibbutz of Sufa, near Israels border with Egypt.

In the video, fighters are depicted storming a military base close by, where Israeli military vehicles, including a tank, can be observed. The video also shows the bodies of Israeli soldiers, with one of them seen bleeding and wearing only a helmet, a tactical vest, and underwear. This assault seems to be the furthest southern land attack by Hamas on Israel.

Zikim Beach

According to the IDF, Hamas also attempted to attack Israel using boats.Two rubber boats and two other boats were destroyed early Saturday morning, according to the IDF.

The IDF released footage on Saturday evening, showing a naval ship shooting at a suspected Hamas vessel. CNN reporters Dennis Lapin, Benjamin Brown, Abeer Salman, Sharif Paget, Sean R. Clark, Renée Rigdon, Kelly Flynn, and Sean OKey contributed to this report.