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Tel Aviv — Israel’s navy mentioned Monday morning that it struck tons of of Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip in a single day as 4 fight divisions had been deployed to the nation’s south, the place battles with Hamas militants continued. The Israel Protection Forces (IDF) mentioned “fighter jets and helicopters, plane and artillery struck over 500 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist targets within the Gaza Strip” Sunday night time and Monday morning, claiming to have destroyed tunnels and no less than seven “Hamas command facilities” within the blockaded Palestinian territory.
The IDF mentioned it additionally struck a command middle utilized by Islamic Jihad, one other Iran-backed terror group based mostly within the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
“It is taking extra time than we anticipated to get issues again right into a defensive safety posture,” Israeli navy spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht instructed journalists Monday morning, acknowledging the continuing battles in southern Israel three days after Hamas launched its unprecedented assault on the Jewish state.
Dying toll mounts in Israel and Gaza
Officers mentioned the Israeli loss of life toll from Hamas’ shock assault stood at 700 Monday morning, nevertheless it was anticipated to proceed to rise. Greater than 250 of the lifeless had been individuals who had been attending a music competition close to the border with Gaza when the assault befell. A minimum of 4 U.S. nationals had been among the many lifeless, and an undetermined quantity remained lacking.
Israel has made it clear that it needs vengeance, and within the Gaza Strip, retribution was falling from the sky. The airstrikes had killed greater than 430 individuals as of Monday morning, together with 91 kids, in line with the Gaza Ministry of Well being.
Within the coming days, Israel is predicted to launch a floor incursion into Gaza, a densely packed area sandwiched between the Mediterranean Sea to the west and Israel to the north and east.
Israel has been locked in a cycle of violence with Palestinian militant teams for many years, however what occurred on Saturday was unprecedented. A whole lot of Hamas militants broke via the metal and concrete barrier that Israel has used for many years to include Palestinians inside Gaza.
They stormed into Israel by land, sea and even on paragliders as waves of rockets — greater than 3,000 of them — had been unleashed on Israeli cities and cities.
The gunmen from the group, which has lengthy been designated a terrorist group by the U.S. and Israel, went on a rampage, slaughtering civilians within the streets, participating Israeli safety forces with lethal impact, and kidnapping hostages together with ladies, kids and the aged.
A few of them had been paraded via the streets of Gaza — human trophies that Hamas is aware of it could actually use as leverage towards its enemy.
One of many captives is Noa Argamani, a college pupil who was hauled away on the again of a bike as she screamed for assist.
“She is a tremendous particular person, a candy baby,” her father Yaacov instructed CBS Information. “I can’t consider it.”
The shocked father mentioned he wished the Israeli authorities to rescue his daughter, however “solely by peaceable measures.”
“We have to act with sensitivity,” he mentioned. “They [Palestinians] even have moms who’re crying, the identical as it’s for us.”
“Looks like Israel had no clue”
For a lot of in Israel, the query burning Monday morning was how the nation’s intelligence businesses may have did not detect and disrupt planning for such a major Hamas assault.
“It looks like Israel had no clue,” former Israeli intelligence officer Gonen Ben Itzhak, who used to recruit spies to infiltrate Hamas, instructed CBS Information. He mentioned Israel — distracted by simmering violence within the different Palestinian territory, the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution, the place it has been defending Israeli settlers — let down its guard in Gaza.
“I will not be stunned if they are going to begin to even kill a few of the hostages on digicam,” he mentioned, predicting that Hamas would attempt to power the Israeli authorities to barter.
However Israeli leaders and navy officers weren’t discussing any negotiations Monday morning.
With some individuals calling the assault Israel’s 9/11, navy spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus mentioned the target was “to ensure that on the finish of this warfare, Hamas will not have any navy capabilities to threaten Israeli civilians with, and along with that, we additionally want to ensure Hamas won’t govern the Gaza Strip.”
CBS Information’ Erin Lyall, Duarte Dias and Tucker Reals contributed to this report.
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