Will ensure 'massacre' by Hamas doesn't happen again: Israel's Oppn leader Lapid; thanks India for support

Israel's former prime minister and current leader of the Opposition Yair Lapid on Monday thanked India for its support to the Jewish nation as he asserted that the country 'will not be caught by surprise twice' and make sure that the 'massacre' by Hamas does not happen again.

Israel witnessed a surprise and unprecedented attack by Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist militant group which rules the Gaza Strip, in its southern parts on Saturday morning.

At least 700 people, including soldiers, have been killed and more than 2,100 injured in Israel -- the deadliest day for the country in at least 50 years.

In the Gaza Strip there are nearly 560 deaths and over 2,900 wounded in Israel's counterattack, Palestine's Ministry of Health said.

In an interview with NDTV news channel, Lapid, when asked how Israel would respond to these attacks by Hamas, said, "The most urgent thing is we deny Hamas these capabilities and make sure they never again have the opportunity to massacre women, children and the elderly. As the Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) said, this is going to be difficult and hard, and we would have to be patient."

"There is going to be a military operation, incursion is not out of the question because we have to make sure this does not happen again," he asserted.

Giving a warning to all the groups who have joined forces against Israel, Lapid said, "They should know we were caught by surprise once. We will not be caught by surprise twice."

Responding to a question on how the attack and its aftermath will play out in the geopolitical context, the former prime minister said, "It's a painful reminder of the fact that global terror is everybody's enemy. We have all suffered from it. There is no negotiation with terror. We just have to make sure we have the ability to join forces and fight global terrorism."

He further said, "This is an opportunity for me to thank Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and his government for the support they have shown to Israel."

Expressing solidarity with Israel after the Hamas attack, Prime Minister Modi on Saturday said, "Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour."