Israel Officially Declares War Against Hamas
- (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press melalui AP)
Gaza – The Israeli government on Monday officially declared war and gave the green light for significant military steps to retaliate against Hamas – a militant Palestinian nationalist and Islamist movement in the West Bank and Gaza Strip – for its surprise attack.
The declaration came as Israeli forces moved to crush fighters still in southern cities and intensified their bombardment of the Gaza Strip with the death toll reaching 1,100 and thousands more wounded on both sides.
More than 700 Israelis, including dozens of soldiers, have been killed after Hamas fighters went on a rampage inside Israeli territory, taking many of them captive. Israel launched air strikes on Gaza killing more than 400 Palestinians.
Konflik Israel-Palestina
- (Foto AP/Fatima Shbair)
Israel said it brought in special forces to try to wrest control of four Israeli sites from Hamas fighters, including two kibbutzim that militants entered earlier in their attacks.
Videos spread on social media and Israeli media showed dozens of festival-goers running across an open field as gunshots rang out.
Many hid in nearby gardens or were shot dead while fleeing.
The declaration of war signals heavier fighting ahead, and the main question is whether Israel will launch a ground offensive into Gaza, a move that in the past has led to increased casualties.
Meanwhile, in northern Israel, a brief firefight with the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group raised fears that the fighting could spill over into a wider regional war.
Authorities are still trying to determine how many civilians and soldiers were captured by Hamas fighters and taken back to Gaza.
Videos and eyewitness accounts indicate that the captives included women, children, and the elderly.
Konflik Israel-Palestina
- (AP Photo/Yousef Masoud)
The leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, Ziad Nakhaleh, said that his group, which took part in the attack, was holding more than 30 Israelis, among dozens of others he said were being held captive in Gaza.
He said they would not be released until all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails were released.
Senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk told Arabic-language media al-Ghad on Sunday that they were holding more than 100 Israelis.
During the offensive in southern Israel, the militants dragged dozens of captives back to Gaza, including women, children, and the elderly.
The exact number of captives was unclear until the two militant groups announced it.
