The death toll from the war with Hamas and Israel surged above 1,100 by Monday, the third day of clashes. Hamas launched a surprise assault from Gaza over the weekend, firing a barrage of rockets and sending a wave of fighters who gunned down civilians and took over 100 hostages. More than 700 Israelis have been killed since Hamas launched its large-scale attack, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Monday. Another 1,200 people have been wounded, many critically. In retaliation, Israeli air strikes hammered an estimated 800 targets in the impoverished and blockaded Gaza Strip, an enclave of 2.3 million people, with officials there reporting at least 413 Palestinian deaths.

IDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus estimated around 1,000 Palestinian fighters had participated in Hamas’s assault on Saturday, which he called “by far the worst day in Israeli history”. “This could be a 9/11 and a Pearl Harbour wrapped into one.” Around 100,000 reserve troops have been deployed to the south as the IDF battles to expel Hamas fighters from Israeli territory, he said, adding that a “very

large amount” of Israeli civilians and soldiers were being held inside Gaza. Israeli officials have vowed to remove Hamas from governance of besieged Gaza enclave. US President Joe Biden ordered “additional support for Israel in the face of this unprecedented terrorist assault by Hamas”. At least four US citizens were killed in the attack, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement after a briefing, adding that the toll was likely to rise. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington “will be rapidly providing the Israel Defense Forces with additional equipment and resources, including munitions”.

Austin directed the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and group of warships to the eastern Mediterranean and said that Washington was augmenting fighter aircraft squadrons in the region. Hamas has said the US aid amounts to “aggression” against Palestinians. Israel was stunned when Hamas launched its multi-pronged offensive on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, with at least 3,000 rockets raining down as fighters infiltrated towns and kibbutz communities and stormed an outdoor rave where many revellers were shot dead.

Panicked Israelis hiding in their homes told reporters that militants were going door to door and shooting civilians or dragging them away. At least 100 citizens were captured by Hamas and abducted into Gaza, with images circulating on social media of bloodied hostages. Israel also came under attack from the north when Lebanon’s Hezbollah launched guided missiles and artillery shells Sunday “in solidarity” with the unprecedented Hamas offensive, without causing any casualties. Israel responded with artillery strikes across the UN-patrolled border.

 Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)