- Several Israeli forces and civilians were held hostage by Hamas militants as gunfire intensified after Netanyahu called for war.
- As of now, over 1,100 people have been killed on both sides and thousands wounded, making it the deadliest attack in Israel in decades.
- At least 700 people have reportedly been killed in Israel a staggering toll on a scale the country has not experienced in decades.
- More than 400 have been killed in Gaza.
- As many as 10 Nepali students were confirmed dead in the ongoing terrorist attack by the Hamas terror group in Israel.
- America giving Israel all the help it needs.
- More than 1,23,000 Gazans now displaced, UN says
Israel and the Palestinian groups in Gaza continued firing rockets at each other’s territories as over 1,100 including children have been killed in the violent war that is raging for the third day.
The Israel-Palestine conflict’s bloodiest escalation in decades saw Hamas carry out a massive rocket barrage and Israel responded with airstrikes. Over 700 have died in Israel and above 400 in Gaza. Besides, over 100,000 people have been displaced in Gaza while Hamas claims it is holding more than a hundred Israelis hostage.
Israel Defence Forces claimed to have struck over 500 Hamas targets overnight as it responded to rocket attacks from Gaza that it described the attack as their “9/11” or “Pearl Harbour” moment. It also called the Hamas attack the “worst massacre of innocent citizens in Israel’s history”.
“Hamas was more barbaric and more brutal than ISIS. Hamas murdered hundreds of Israelis, men, women, and children, and took dozens of hostages into Gaza. This horrific terror act demands a forceful, determined, and sustained response, which is exactly what we are doing,” the Israeli Defence Forces said in its latest statement.
Israel has accused Iran of funding the Hamas group’s operations but Tehran has denied being involved in the latest offensive.
The US said several Americans were killed in the surprise land-sea-air attack on Israel and ordered the deployment of US warships and fighter jet squadrons to Israel on Sunday, signaling their “unwavering” support for its ally in the face of escalating attacks by Hamas.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to avenge what he said was a “black day” for Israel. “The IDF (army) is about to use all its force to destroy Hamas’s capabilities. We’ll strike them to the bitter end and avenge with force this black day they brought on Israel and its people,” he said.
He warned Palestinians living near Hamas sites in Gaza to leave as he vowed to turn its hideouts into “rubble” following its surprise attack.
Israel and Palestinian groups have fought several wars since Hamas took power in Gaza in 2007. The latest violence erupted a day after Hamas said that the “people had to draw a line to end the occupation” and added that Israel continued to commit crimes across Palestinian land, especially on the holy site of Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem.
(With inputs from agencies)
