Israel, suffering from the worst attack on its territory in half a century, formally declared war on Hamas on Sunday, as the conflict’s death toll surpassed 1,000, following a devastating surprise strike from Gaza by the Palestinian militant group.
According to AFP, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu braced the stunned and bereaved nation for a “long and difficult” battle after Hamas launched a barrage of missiles at Israel before dawn on Saturday and dispatched fighters who killed murdered people and kidnapped at least 100 captives.
Several Germans who are also Israeli citizens were among those captured by Palestinian Hamas militants during their raids into Israel, German government officials stated on Sunday.
The numbers involved were not specified by the sources.
“As far as we know, they are all Israeli nationals as well as Germans,” they told the AFP news agency. The White House stated Sunday that US President Joe Biden has authorized “additional support” for Israel in the aftermath of the attack.
“The President has directed additional support for Israel in the face of this unprecedented terrorist assault by Hamas,” the White House stated in a statement.
The brutal escalation heightened Middle East tensions and killed over 600 Israelis, the country’s greatest losses since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, when it was attacked by an Arab coalition led by Egypt and Syria.
Officials claimed at least 370 deaths in Gaza, which was pounded by Israeli air attacks on 800 sites ahead of what many believed would be a ground invasion, with thousands more injured across the battle zone.
Tens of thousands of Israeli troops were deployed to engage remaining Hamas rebels in the south, where civilian remains had been discovered littered over roadways and in town centers.
“The enemy is still on the ground,” military spokesperson Daniel Hagari told media as a second night passed following the strike, adding that Israel was beefing up its military presence near Gaza.
As the Israeli army attempted to capture desert territories near the coastal enclave, free Israeli hostages, and evacuate all locations near Gaza, gunfights erupted.
“We’ll reach every community until we kill every terrorist in Israel,” Hagari pledged a day after hundreds of Hamas fighters launched a surprise incursion into Israel, employing vehicles, boats, and even motorized paragliders.
There was widespread shock and dismay in Israel after over 100 Israelis were taken by Hamas and abducted into Gaza, with photographs of injured prisoners and heartbroken families pleading with the state to rescue them circulating on social media.
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