The death toll in the Israel-Gaza war has surged close to 1,000 after the Palestinian militant group launched a massive surprise assault from Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu steeled the shocked and grieving nation for a “long and difficult” war ahead after Hamas fired a barrage of rockets at Israel on Saturday and sent in fighters who gunned down civilians and took at least 100 hostages.
The war has heightened Middle East tensions and killed more than 600 people on the Israeli side, which is the country’s worst losses since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war when it came under attack from a coalition led by Egypt and Syria.
“Israel was caught flat-footed by the unprecedented attack. I’ve heard multiple comparisons to 9/11, and many Israelis are struggling to understand how this could have happened, ” said Jonathan Panikoff, director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative.
In Gaza, which was hammered by Israeli air strikes on 800 targets ahead of what many feared may be a looming ground invasion, officials reported at least 370 deaths, with thousands more wounded across the war zone.
Tens of thousands of Israeli forces were deployed to battle holdout Hamas fighters in the south, where the bodies of civilians had been found strewn on roads and in town centres.
“The enemy is still on the ground,” said military spokesman Daniel Hagari as a second night fell after the attack, adding that Israel was reinforcing its military strength near the Gaza Strip.
Gun battles raged as the Israeli army sought to secure desert regions near the coastal enclave, rescue Israeli hostages and evacuate all areas near Gaza.
“We’ll reach each and every community until we kill every terrorist in Israel,” vowed Hagari, a day after Hamas fighters launched their shock offensive and surged into Israel using vehicles, boats and even motorised paragliders.
100 Abducted to Gaza
There was widespread shock and dismay in Israel after at least 100 citizens were captured by Hamas and abducted into Gaza, with images circulating on social media of bloodied hostages, and distraught relatives pleading for the state to rescue them.
Yifat Zailer, 37, said she was horrified to see online video footage from Gaza that showed her female cousin and the woman’s children, aged nine months and three years.
“That’s the only confirmation we have,” she told AFP, her voice breaking with emotion, adding there was no information on her cousin’s husband and her elderly parents.
“After the army took control of the kibbutz, they weren’t at home. We assume they were kidnapped. We want to know what their condition is, we want them to return safely. They’re innocent civilians, ” she said.
