Israel launched air strikes and violent bombing on residential towers, tunnels, a mosque, and the homes of Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip. These attacks claimed the lives of more than 370 people, including 20 children, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed “crushing revenge for this dark day.”
In an indication that the conflict may extend beyond the Strip, Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah group exchanged artillery and missile fire, while two Israeli tourists were killed in Alexandria, Egypt, as was their Egyptian guide.
In southern Israel, Hamas militants are still engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli security forces, more than 24 hours after Hamas began its surprise attack by launching a barrage of rockets and with militants invading military bases and storming border towns.
The Israeli army, which faces difficult questions regarding its failure to prevent the attack, said that it had regained control of most of the points where the militants infiltrated, killing hundreds of Palestinians and capturing dozens.
An Israeli military spokesman said in a briefing to reporters: “We will attack Hamas with all force, and this will be a very prolonged round of operations.”
The army said that it deployed tens of thousands of soldiers in the area surrounding the Gaza Strip, which is inhabited by 2.3 million Palestinians, and intends to evacuate all Israelis living around the Strip’s borders.
The largest incursion into Israel
The Hamas attack on Saturday morning constituted the largest incursion into Israel and caused the largest number of deaths and injuries in one day since Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Yom Kippur in the 1973 war.
Israeli television reports reported that at least 700 Israelis were killed.
Hostages
Debris resulting from Saturday’s attack is still scattered in southern Israeli towns, settlements and communities on the border, and Israelis are trying to absorb the shock and the sight of blood and bodies thrown in the streets, cars and homes.
The militants were able to return to the Gaza Strip with dozens of civilian and military prisoners.
Hamas said it would issue a statement later about the number of prisoners it has.
Israeli media reports said that about 30 missing Israelis who were at a dance party targeted during the Hamas attack on Saturday came out of hiding on Sunday.
The capture of this large number of Israelis, some of whom were filmed as they were taken or dragged bleeding through security checkpoints into the Gaza Strip, further complicates the difficult situation that Netanyahu faces in dealing with the situation, given the previous prisoner exchanges for many Palestinian detainees.
Hamas fired more rocket salvoes towards Israel on Sunday, and air raid sirens sounded across southern Israel, and the Israeli army said it would evacuate the border areas and search them for more militants.
Israel began launching air strikes on the Gaza Strip shortly after the Hamas attack and continued these strikes throughout the night and Sunday morning.
It said it destroyed the movement’s headquarters and training camps, but the bombing also destroyed homes, residential towers, and other facilities.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said that 370 were killed and 2,200 were injured as a result of the Israeli strikes that came in response to the attack.
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