Israel: En mi condición de Ministro de Seguridad de la Nación hago saber que, por expresas instrucciones del Presidente de la Nación, pusimos en alerta general a todas las instituciones de la comunidad judía y una alerta máxima en fronteras. He convocado a los Jefes de las…

— Aníbal Fernández (@FernandezAnibal) October 7, 2023

Argentina’s Migrations Director Florencia Carignano announced that migration controls would also be tightened in light of the attacks, stressing that these were precautionary measures.

The three main presidential candidates also condemned the attack and expressed their solidarity via posts on the website X.  

Economy Minister and Unión por la Patria (UxP) presidential candidate Sergio Massa “strongly condemned the terrorist attacks” and offered Israel humanitarian assistance, saying that “peace is the only path.” Patricia Bullrich (Juntos por el Cambio, JxC) said her “heart was with all Israelis” and that “violence will never win.” Javier Milei (La Libertad Avanza, LLA) expressed his solidarity with Israel and defended their right to defend themselves. 

Israel’s Embassy in Argentina also condemned the attacks. “The attack was initiated by Hamas-backed terrorist organizations with the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” they said. The Embassy also thanked Argentine politicians and government officials for condemning the attacks, including President Alberto Fernández, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, as well as Bullrich, Massa, and Milei.

Two terrorist attacks in Argentina have been carried out against buildings belonging to Israel and the Jewish community. In 1992, the Israeli Embassy suffered an attack that killed 22 people and left over 200 wounded. Two years later, a car bomb destroyed the main building of the AMIA, a Jewish community center located near downtown Buenos Aires City, leaving 85 dead and 300 wounded. To this day, it is the deadliest terrorist attack in Argentina’s history.

A surprise attack on Israel

Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years on Saturday, killing at least 40 people and wounding hundreds in a surprise assault that combined gunmen crossing into Israel with a barrage of rockets fired from Gaza.

Israel said the group had declared war as its army confirmed fighting with militants in several Israeli towns and military bases near Gaza, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate.

“Our enemy will pay a price the type of which it has never known,” he said. “We are in a war and we will win it.”

Israel’s ambulance service said at least 40 Israelis were killed and hundreds wounded in the Hamas attack, but the total appeared likely to rise. A photographer from Reuters saw multiple bodies lying in the streets of the southern town of Sderot.

The Israeli military said it had responded with air strikes into Gaza, where witnesses reported hearing heavy explosions and multiple dead and wounded being carried into hospitals.

Palestinian health officials said dozens of people had been killed as bombardments hit deep into Gaza City, sending clouds of black smoke spiraling into the sky.

Hamas said the attack was driven by what it said were Israel’s escalated attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and against Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

– with information from Reuters