Israeli security gather near a rifle at the site of a battle following a mass infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Sderot, southern Israel October 8, 2023.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Israeli troops fought to expel Palestinian militants from Israeli territory for a second day Sunday, battling in firefights between homes, ducking under rocket fire and striking Gazan cities from the sky in retaliation for the militants’ assault, which officials described as the worst attack on Israel in decades.
By Sunday evening, the estimated death toll hovered around 1,100 people killed in 36 hours — although the number was clouded by the continued fighting and the uncertain fate of many Israelis and Palestinians in embattled areas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Israelis to brace themselves for the days ahead.
“We are embarking on a long and difficult war that was forced on us by a murderous Hamas attack,” he said in a statement, referring to the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip. He added that Israel’s military had “begun the offensive phase, which will continue with neither limitations nor respite until the objectives are achieved.”
Israeli tanks could be seen crossing farmland in parts of southern Israel, heading south toward Gaza, and the military ordered an evacuation of civilians from 24 villages near the Gaza border, a possible prelude to a ground assault. Israeli warplanes also struck Gazan cities in response for Saturday’s attack, in which militants infiltrated more than 20 Israeli towns and army bases, opening fire on soldiers and civilians and taking some hostage.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said on social media that 700 Israelis had been killed, and a senior defense Israeli defense official said an early assessment showed that at least 150 people have been taken hostage by Palestinian militants. At least 413 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken compared the attack by Hamas to the Yom Kippur war of 1973, a 19-day battle set off by an Egyptian and Syrian invasion that caught Israel off guard. But “the magnitude, the scale of what Hamas did here is something we haven’t seen before,” Blinken added, in an interview with CBS News.
The White House also promised military assistance to Israel, and President Joe Biden spoke with Netanyahu in a call Sunday, White House officials said. In the call, Biden “discussed the taking of hostages by Hamas terrorists, including entire families, the elderly and young children,” according to the White House.
It was unclear whether any Americans were among those abducted.