The death toll from Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel stands at 900, while Palestinian officials say retaliatory strikes on Gaza have killed over 700.
Palestinians in the densely packed Gaza Strip spent a third night facing the fury of Israel’s military, as it exacted the first phase of its revenge for the Hamas militant group’s unprecedented, bloody on the Jewish state. The Israel Defense Forces said airstrikes targeted some 200 targets in the Hamas-controlled Palestinian territory overnight, fewer than the , but it was increasingly clear that the missiles were just an opening salvo for what Israel has promised will be a devastating blow against Hamas.
Israeli families were still reeling Tuesday from the brazen ground, air and sea assault launched Saturday by Hamas. The scale and brutality of the attack, which Israel said had claimed at least 900 lives, left some 2,500 more people wounded and more than 100 held captive by Hamas, appeared to take not only the Israeli people but their government by surprise.
At least 11 U.S. nationals were among the dead in Israel, and an unclear number were also among the hostages held by Hamas. The Biden administration has said that while Iran is «broadly complicit» in supporting Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups, it has seen no clear evidence that Tehran had a role in planning or orchestrating the Saturday attack on Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with full-throated backing from his country’s most vital ally, the United States, said Hamas had started a war, but he vowed that «Israel will finish it.» He’s said Israel will not stop until the terror group is deprived of any capacity to plan or conduct further operations in Gaza.
«Hamas will understand that by attacking us, they’ve made a mistake of historic proportions» Netanyahu said Monday.
