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Israeli ambassador calls Hamas attack on Israel ‘truly unprecedented’: ‘This is our 9/11’

Israeli officials estimate that at least 250 people have died so far

By Andrea Vacchiano Fox News
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Israel Amb. Gilad Erdan: 'This is our 9/11, this is our 9/11' Video

Israel Amb. Gilad Erdan: 'This is our 9/11, this is our 9/11'

Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Gilad Erdan joins 'FOX News Live' to describe the 'unprecedented attack, atrocities' waged by Hamas on Israel.

Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Gilad Erdan called Hamas’s attack on Israel "unprecedented" on "Fox News Live" Saturday, comparing the terrorism to the 9/11 tragedy.

Erdan – whose family lives in Ashkelon, a city near Gaza – called Hamas terrorists "animals" and condemned the military group for killing civilians. The attack began early Saturday morning, which coincided with a major Jewish holiday called Simchat Torah.

"Babies, women, the elderly were dragged outside of their homes, were taken hostage," Erdan explained. "Civilians were shot and most were massacred in cold blood walking on the streets. This is something that, I mean, is truly unprecedented," he told Fox News' Eric Shawn.

Israeli officials estimate that at least 250 people have died in the conflict so far. There have also been 1,500 reported casualties.

AT LEAST 250 DEAD, ISRAELI PM NETANYAHU DECLARES ‘WAR’ AFTER HAMAS TERRORISTS LAUNCH MASSIVE ATTACK

Palestinian authorities have reported slightly lower numbers, reporting at least 232 fatalities and 1,700 injuries.

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    Fire and smoke rises above buildings during an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on October 8, 2023. At least 200 Israelis died in a surprise large-scale attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023, the army said, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to reduce the group's Gaza hideouts to "rubble". (Photo by EYAD BABA / AFP) (Photo by EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

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    GAZA STRIP, GAZA - OCTOBER 07: Smoke rises after Israeli air forces targeting a shopping center in Gaza Strip, Gaza on October 07, 2023. Israeli airstrikes on Gaza Strip launched after a Hamas offensive has killed at least 232 Palestinians, the territory's Health Ministry said on Saturday. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

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    07 October 2023, Israel, Tel Aviv: Israeli security forces and rescuers stand along a debris-strewn street in Tel Aviv, after it was hit by a rocket fired by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip. At least 200 people were killed and more than 1,100 wounded in Israel in the major surprise attack launched by Hamas from the Gaza Strip, according to medical sources. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa (Photo by Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

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    ISTANBUL, TURKEY - OCTOBER 07: People gather in support of the recent attacks on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas at Fatih Mosque on October 07, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey. The Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a missile attack on Israel today, with fighters simultaneously crossing the border from Gaza. At least 200 people have been killed and thousands wounded, according to officials. Israel has declared a state of war. (Photo by Burak Kara/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

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    Members of the Israeli security forces walk along a debris-strewn street in Tel Aviv, after it was hit by a rocket fired by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023. Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise large-scale attack against Israel on October 7, firing thousands of rockets from Gaza and sending fighters to kill or abduct people as Israel retaliated with devastating air strikes. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

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    SDEROT, ISRAEL - OCTOBER 07: Israeli forces clash with Palestinians near the Israel-Gaza border in Sderot, Israel on October 07, 2023. Israeli Army Radio says more than 100 Israelis killed, about 1,000 others injured in latest escalation with Palestinian groups. (Photo by Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

The diplomat explained that because Israel’s population is smaller than the United States, the amount of casualties is proportional to the lives lost on 9/11.

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"We already suffered 250 fatalities [which is] like having here, 7500 fatalities," Erdan explained. "We already have 1500 casualties. It's like 50,000 casualties here in the United States."

"This is our 9/11," he added. "We are committed to change the equation, to shatter the old paradigm. These animals will pay a heavy price and they will learn that these atrocities cannot be committed again against our civilians."

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Andrea Vacchiano is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Readers can send story tips to andrea.vacchiano@fox.com.