Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said the country is embarking on a ‘long and difficult war’ with Hamas, vowing that their hideouts will be turned to ‘rubble’.
He spoke after a surprise attack by Palestinian militants from the blockaded Gaza Strip led to hundreds of deaths, the seizure of dozens of Israeli hostages, and sparked fears of a regional escalation.
On Sunday morning, as Israelis struggled to comprehend the scale of the attack the day before, the possibility of a ground invasion into Gaza and wider conflagration with Hezbollah in Lebanon loomed large.
The Iranian-backed armed group, Hezbollah, said it had fired rockets and artillery into northern Israel “in solidarity” with the Palestinian people.
Netanyahu warns of ‘long and difficult war’ after surprise Hamas attack on Israel.
At least, 256 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed as a result of Israeli airstrikes and shelling, according to the Palestinian ministry of health, with that number expected to rise amid electricity and communications cuts as well as widespread problems with medical facilities.
Palestinians in Gaza shared images of text messages sent to residents by the Israeli military in the Beit Hanoun area near the strip’s northern Erez border crossing last night, ordering them to leave their homes prior to a barrage of airstrikes.
The IDF spokesperson in Arabic also directed residents in Gaza to flee towards Gaza City.
Yet with two million residents living on a slim strip of land, often described as one of the most densely populated places on earth, most feared there was simply nowhere for them to go to escape the airstrikes that continued throughout the night, including strikes on towers and infrastructure in Gaza City itself.
“The number of civilian homes destroyed by Israeli aircraft is now in the hundreds, and tens of thousands of displaced people in Gaza are homeless,” said Anas Jerjawi,of Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.
“Water and electricity supplies are almost at a standstill, and hospitals face extreme difficulties in continuing to operate due to the huge shortage of medical supplies. The situation is very difficult and the Israeli attack must be stopped immediately.”
*Culled from AP
