The Israeli government gave the green light for ‘significant military steps’ against the Palestinian militant group after it launched an unprecedented attack.
At least 700 people have been killed in Israel since Saturday when Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack in the central and southern parts of the country, the Associated Press reported. In the retaliatory strikes by Israel on Gaza, over 400 people have died.
Hamas, which runs Gaza, launched a multi-pronged attack early Saturday by firing a barrage of rockets towards Israeli cities and sending in militants via paragliders and boats.
Israel retaliated with a wave of air strikes on housing blocks, tunnels, a mosque and homes of Hamas officials in Gaza as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of “mighty vengeance”.
“As an occupying power, Israel has no right or justification to target the defenceless civilian population in Gaza or elsewhere in Palestine,” said the Palestinian foreign ministry, reported Reuters. The ministry also denounced the “barbarous campaign of death and destruction”.
