 A number of Israeli tanks and vehicles are seen back on Gaza border a day after Hamas' deadly attack Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel in which about 500 people were killed in the deadliest day of violence in Israel for 50 years. A starret is just four kilometers from the Gaza Strip and has been bearing the brunt of previous Palestinian rocket attacks. Hamas fighters began their attack at dawn on Saturday with a huge barrage of rockets into southern Israel, giving cover to an unprecedented. And infiltration of fighters into Israel from Gaza, a narrow strip that is home to 2.3 million Palestinians.