According to CNN, Israel has mobilized four combat divisions in the South where they will continue to clash with Islamic militia groups.
An Israeli military spokesman said fighting had broken out in seven or eight locations near Gaza in the two days since Hamas militants launched a barrage of attacks into Israel. Hamas fighters were also continuing to cross the border into Israel.
Warplanes, helicopters and self-propelled guns attacked about 500 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters in the Gaza Strip overnight, with targets including Hamas and Islamic Jihad command centers, as well as the residences of several senior Hamas officials such as Ruhi Mashtaa, who was responsible for running the infiltration operation into Israel.
Gaza medical groups say at least seven Palestinians have been killed in two series of Israeli air strikes. Israeli jets have carried out dozens of air strikes, particularly on the northern town of Beit Hanoun.
Israeli air strikes on Monday targeted residential blocks, tunnels, a mosque and the homes of Hamas officials in Gaza. The Palestinian health ministry said more than 400 people, including many children, were killed.
“The price that Gaza will pay will be such a huge price that it will change the reality of this region for generations to come,” said Defense Minister Yoav Galant in the town of Ofakim, where many people were killed or taken hostage.
Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said the country had mobilized 100,000 troops.
“Our job is to ensure that when this war is over, Hamas no longer has the military capability to threaten the people of Israel. And to ensure that Hamas no longer has control over the Gaza Strip.” Oil prices rose $3 a barrel in Asia on Monday as the violence underscored concerns about Middle East politics and Iranian oil supplies. The spike in oil prices will weigh on consumers and add to global inflationary pressures, weighing on stocks as the S&P 500 fell 0.7 percent and the NASDAQ fell 0.6 percent.
Several international airlines have suspended flights to Tel Aviv following the Hamas attack, and said they are waiting for the situation to improve before resuming flights.
Behind Gaza, Israeli forces and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia exchanged artillery fire on Sunday. In Egypt, two Israeli tourists and a tour guide were killed in a shooting.
The world has sent messages calling for restraint from both sides. In southern Israel, Hamas gunmen are still confronting Israeli security forces after carrying out a surprise attack combining rocket barrages and groups of gunmen infiltrating military bases and attacking border towns.
“Getting the situation under control and securing a secure defensive position is requiring more than we anticipated,” said Lt. Col. Richard Hecht.
Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun.
The Israeli military, which has faced questions after failing to repel the attack, said it had regained control at infiltration sites on the security fence, killing hundreds of attackers and taking dozens of prisoners.
Tens of thousands of troops have been deployed around Gaza, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, and the Israeli army has begun evacuating Israelis from the front lines.
The Israeli government has not released a specific number, but media outlets have reported that at least 700 people were killed in Saturday's attack, CNN reported. A White House National Security Council spokesman confirmed that several Americans were also killed by Hamas. Thailand also said that 12 Thai nationals were killed...
Violence on the rise
US President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. The US has led the international condemnation of Hamas, and Biden warned that this is “not the time for those hostile to Israel to take advantage of these attacks.”
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he had ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the eastern Mediterranean to show support for Israel. In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem condemned the US announcement.
The escalation follows violence between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-rule and Hamas opposes it with a view to destroying Israel.
The situation in the West Bank has become increasingly tense under Netanyahu's administration, with several Israeli attacks on Palestinian villages. The Palestinian Authority has called for an emergency meeting of the Arab League.
The United Nations has proposed setting up a humanitarian corridor to bring food into Gaza and says at least 70,000 Palestinians are sheltering in schools it runs.
Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)
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