TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli government formally declared war Sunday and gave the green light for “significant military steps” to retaliate against Hamas for its surprise attack, as the military tried to crush fighters still in southern towns
and intensified its bombardment of the Gaza Strip. The toll passed 1,100 dead and thousands wounded on both sides.
The gunmen rampaged for hours, gunning down civilians and snatching people in towns, along highways and at a techno music festival attended by thousands in the desert near Gaza. The rescue service Zaka said it removed about 260 bodies from the festival, and the toll was expected to rise as other paramedic teams were working in the area. It was not clear how many were already included in Israel’s toll.
Warplanes fired tons of explosives on 120 targets in Beit Hanoun, Israeli Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters, saying Hamas was using the town as a staging ground for attacks. There was no immediate word on casualties, and most of the community’s population of tens of thousands of people likely fled before the bombardment.
Nasser Abu Quta said 19 members of his family including his wife were killed when an airstrike hit their home, where he and his extended family were huddling on the ground floor in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. An Israeli warning shot “tapped” a building about 100 meters away, and his family thought they were far enough from that target to be safe. Instead, the next strike hit them, he said.
In northern Israel, a brief exchange of strikes with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group fanned fears that the fighting could expand into a wider regional war. Hezbollah fired rockets and shells Sunday at Israeli positions in a disputed area along the border, and the Israeli military fired back using armed drones. The Israeli military said the situation was calm after the exchange.
Speaking on national television Saturday, Netanyahu vowed that Hamas “will pay an unprecedented price.” He further warned: “This war will take time. It will be difficult.” The Israeli military was evacuating at least five towns close to Gaza and scouring the area for militants.
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