More than 1,100 killed in Israel, Gaza
Israel bombarded the Gaza Strip fiercely early Monday, as fighting with Hamas raged around the Gaza Strip and the dead toll from the battle against Palestinian terrorists surpassed 1,100.
In overnight skirmishes, the Israeli army said it attacked more than 500 targets in the blockaded and impoverished Gaza Strip. At the same time, fighting continued in seven to eight places inside Israel around the enclave.
This came two days after Hamas launched a barrage of missiles and unleashed a wave of terrorists who killed down civilians and kidnapped at least 100 captives in a huge attack that caught Israel off guard.
On Sunday, the government declared war on the Palestinian militant organization that governs Gaza.
Also, the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, warned Israel to prepare for a “long and difficult” conflict.
Read Also: In Israel and beyond, virus vaccines bring political power
The Israel Defence Forces on Monday, said more than 700 Israelis have been killed since Hamas launched its large-scale attack, Another 1,200 people have been wounded, many critically.
In retaliation, Israeli air strikes have hammered the impoverished and blockaded Gaza Strip, an enclave of 2.3 million people, with officials there reporting at least 413 Palestinian deaths.
“Overnight IDF fighter jets, helicopters, aircraft, and artillery struck over 500 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip,” the military said in a statement.
“We’re still fighting. There are seven to eight open places around Gaza (where) we still have warriors fighting terrorists,” military spokesman Richard Hecht told reporters.
“We thought by yesterday (Sunday) we would have full control. I hope we will by the end of the day,” he added.
Thick plumes of smoke billowed from the Palestinian enclave as the strikes continued in the early morning hours.
Army spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, estimated around 1,000 Palestinian militants had participated in Hamas’s assault on Saturday, which he called “by far the worst day in Israeli history”.
“Never before have so many Israelis been killed by one single thing, let alone enemy activity in one day,” he said.
He likened it to “a 9/11 and a Pearl Harbour wrapped into one”.
Conricus said around 100,000 reserve troops were deployed to the south as the army battles to expel Hamas fighters from Israeli territory.
A “very large number” of Israeli civilians and soldiers were being held inside Gaza, he said.
