Israeli security forces are now carrying out operations in Gaza in an effort to free hostages held by Palestinian militants and regain control of territory they captured on Saturday. These operations also include the clearing of territory they seized.
According to the military, by the time Sunday AM rolled around, forces had secured 22 places, but they were still searching another eight.
At least 600 people are said to have been murdered in Israel as a result of the surprise attack that was carried out by hundreds of gunmen from Hamas under the cover of intensive missile fire.
More than 370 individuals have been killed in Gaza as a result of retaliatory attacks carried out by Israel.
According to reports from the Israeli military, there have been a total of 400 Palestinian gunmen killed and dozens detained as a result of the fighting in Israel.
Since the Yom Kippur war, which took place fifty years ago, Israel saw the worst day of bloodshed on Saturday.
On Saturday night, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predicted that his country would soon be engaged in a “protracted and difficult war.” He also issued a warning to Hamas, the group that now governs Gaza, saying that their strongholds would be turned to “rubble.”
Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, stated that the organization was “on the cusp of a great victory.”
The assault started shortly after daybreak on Saturday, which was the Jewish Sabbath and the feast of Simchat Torah. The holiday was being observed that day.
The strongly reinforced fence that surrounds Gaza’s border was breached by Hamas operatives, who then made their way into southern Israel on motorbikes, paragliders, and by crossing the water.
A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the number of militants was in the high hundreds, and that throughout the course of the day, more than 3,000 rockets were shot in the direction of cities and villages located all across Israel.
“They attacked dozens of Israeli communities and IDF bases and went door to door,” Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus stated on Saturday night. “They went door to door.” “They executed Israeli civilians in cold blood in their homes and then continued to drag into Gaza Israeli civilians and military personnel.”
However, Israeli television stations reported that the death toll had crossed 600, and a statement on Facebook from the Government Press Office featured the same figure. Although the Israeli health ministry has not officially acknowledged how many people have been murdered, the number has been reported by Israeli television networks.
Overnight, Israeli security forces freed a large number of hostages; about 50 of them had been held in the eating area of one tiny hamlet.
At least ten violent extremists who had taken control of the local police station in the town of Sderot were eliminated.
The border settlements surrounding Gaza were still the target of gunfire as late as Sunday morning.
Israeli forces pursued several Palestinian militants who were driving a stolen car near the city of Ashkelon, eventually murdering them in a dramatic battle on a prominent road in the area.
Earlier, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) informed reporters that security forces had cleared 22 places, but that there were still eight “points of engagement” where troops were going from house to house to ensure that they were either “clean or terrorism.”
Among them were Sderot and the adjoining kibbutz (village) of Kfar Aza, where it was reported that soldiers were battling to release another batch of prisoners.
Residents who reside close to the border with Gaza are also being moved out of their homes.
The scores of Israeli troops and civilians, including women and children, who are believed to be taken hostage by Hamas in Gaza are now becoming a significant source of concern. Concerns are also mounting regarding the situation in the West Bank.
In order to collect DNA samples, the family members of those who have gone missing have been urged to turn over their personal things to the local police station.
When the attack started, hundreds of people were dancing at a rave in the fields near to Gaza, including Noa Argamani, who was 25 years old, and her lover, Avinatan Or. In a video that was shared on social media, Ms. Argamani could be seen screaming in terror as she was being transported into Gaza by militants on a motorcycle.
According to the BBC, a friend named Amit Parpara said that she texted him multiple times as the attack was taking place.
“My first contact with Noa was around 06:30, when the [rockets] started,” according to him. “She emailed me her current location and begged for someone to come save her and her boyfriend,” I said to myself. She was found to have been hiding in a hole.”
“Around 08:30 was the last message that I got from her,” he explained further. “I tried to warn her to keep her head down. I tried to get in touch with the authorities, including the police and the military, so that they could learn where they were hiding and possibly find them.
“Roughly thirty minutes later, I was able to locate that video… You can plainly tell how terrified she is.”
Mr. Netanyahu issued a warning to Hamas, stating that Israel would “settle accounts with anyone who harms one hair on their heads” if the hostages were in any way harmed.
In addition to this, he stated that the Israel Defense Forces will “immediately use all of its strength to destroy Hamas’s capabilities,” and he instructed the people of Gaza to abandon their homes and seek refuge.
Since Saturday morning, when a large number of Palestinians were out partying in the streets of Gaza, the atmosphere there has undergone a dramatic transformation. As the region is currently being shaken by explosions and clouds of black smoke are engulfing houses, people have begun to seek refuge indoors.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that as of the morning of Sunday, they had successfully attacked 426 Hamas targets, one of which was a compound that belonged to the chief of Hamas’s intelligence section.
According to Hamas, 12 homes belonging to key leaders of the organisation had been struck, in addition to branches of the organization’s bank.
The multi-story Watan Tower in Gaza City, which housed internet service providers that catered to approximately half of the population, was also leveled during this attack.
According to sources from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 300 people, including children, had been killed in Gaza, and another 1,990 people had been injured.
After being warned by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to evacuate their homes immediately and receiving indications that they will soon be subjected to an aerial assault, around 20,000 civilians have sought refuge in schools and hospitals run by the United Nations (UN). The Israeli warnings extended to the northern Gaza communities of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya, as well as the Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City.
“You can’t go anywhere in Gaza without seeing dead bodies.”
The situation is intolerable, according to a neuro-rehabilitation and pain medicine expert located in Gaza City named Dr. Khamis Elessi, who spoke with the BBC.
“No matter where you go in Gaza, you will always come across a funeral service or some sign of death. You witness the collapse of many buildings. “It’s as if you’re watching a movie about the end of life on this Earth,” he said. “It’s eerily realistic.”
“The kids are crying and screaming, there is no electricity, there’s no internet and so you feel you could be next.”
In reaction for the strike carried out by Hamas, Israel’s security cabinet decided to shut off Gaza’s supply of electricity and gasoline as well as the entry of products.
In a separate event that took place on Sunday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said that their artillery had attacked targets in southern Lebanon and that they had carried out a drone strike on “terrorist infrastructure” in retaliation for a missile attack carried out by the militant Hezbollah movement in the contentious region of Shebaa Farms and Mount Dov.
Despite a warning from Israel and the United States for other parties to refrain from engaging and risk starting a regional war, Hezbollah stated that it had fired at three Israeli positions “in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance.”
According to the Lebanese army, Israeli retaliatory fire caused injuries to numerous persons. Meanwhile, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon stated that it was working with authorities in both nations to prevent a more serious escalation of the conflict.
