Israel deployed tens of thousands of troops around the Gaza Strip on Monday, amid ongoing clashes between Hamas and Israeli forces.
The massive assault initiated by Iran-backed Hamas at dawn on Saturday, followed by Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, has resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives.
This is what we know about the conflict so far:
How it began
Around 6:30 am (0330 GMT) on Saturday, which coincided with the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, approximately one thousand Hamas fighters launched an attack on Israel.
The assault occurred exactly 50 years after the start of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.
Hamas fighters fired thousands of rockets into Israel and employed explosives and bulldozers to breach the barricade surrounding the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Utilizing motorcycles, pickup trucks, motorized gliders, and speedboats, the fighters infiltrated into Israel, reaching cities such as Ashkelon, Ofakim, and Sderot.
The gunmen launched a violent attack on a music festival attended by numerous young Israelis and foreigners near Kibbutz Reim, in close proximity to Gaza.
Israel reported that Hamas has taken over 100 hostages, including an unspecified number of foreigners, including Americans.
Israeli response
Israel officially announced war on Hamas on Sunday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to completely destroy the group’s hideouts in Gaza, an impoverished enclave with a population of 2.3 million people that has been under an Israeli blockade for over 15 years.
He cautioned civilians in Gaza to distance themselves from Hamas locations as the Israeli army announced conducting airstrikes on these positions in an operation codenamed “Swords of Iron.”
On Monday, the military declared that its forces had achieved “control” over the southern communities targeted by Hamas.
The military announced on Monday that it had targeted 500 sites associated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad overnight, in addition to the 800 strikes conducted earlier.
Hamas’ armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, stated on Monday that Israeli airstrikes had resulted in the deaths of “four of the enemy’s prisoners” overnight. Media was not able to immediately confirm this assertion.
The Israeli military has assembled tens of thousands of troops and substantial armored forces in close proximity to Gaza, heightening concerns among Palestinians of a possible ground offensive.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday ordered a “complete siege” on Gaza, meaning “no electricity, no food, no water, no gas”.
Deah toll over 1,200
Journalists witnessed the lifeless bodies of civilians with bullet wounds lying in the streets in at least three different locations in Israel: Sderot, the adjacent kibbutz of Gevim, and Zikim beach situated to the north of the Palestinian enclave.
According to a volunteer who assisted in recovering the bodies, approximately 250 people lost their lives at the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Reim during the Hamas attack.
On the Gaza side, health authorities reported that a minimum of 560 individuals had been killed, and over 2,900 were wounded, bringing the total casualty count to at least 1,260 fatalities when considering both sides of the conflict.
The United States confirmed the tragic loss of at least nine American lives, with additional American citizens still unaccounted for. Other foreigners who lost their lives include one British national, twelve Thais, ten Nepalis, and at least eight French nationals.
Hamas vows to continue
Hamas claimed responsibility for firing 5,000 rockets as part of its offensive, which it has named “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.”
On Saturday, its leader Ismail Haniyeh declared the commitment to continue “the struggle to free our homeland and our incarcerated compatriots in occupation prisons.”
Hamas has issued a call for “resistance fighters in the West Bank” and individuals from “Arab and Islamic nations” to join the conflict.
On Monday, Hamas declared that it had ruled out engaging in negotiations for a prisoner exchange with Israel, citing that “the military operation is still in progress.”
How have the allies responded
Lebanon’s Iran-backed Shiite militant organization, Hezbollah, announced that it fired missiles and artillery shells into northern Israel early on Sunday as an act of “solidarity” with the Hamas offensive.
The Israeli army said it retaliated with artillery fire.
On Monday, the Israeli military reported that it had neutralized several armed individuals who had crossed the border from Lebanon. Additionally, Israeli helicopters conducted airstrikes in the border region.
In Egypt, on Sunday, a police officer opened fire on an Israeli tour group in the northern city of Alexandria, resulting in the tragic deaths of two Israelis and their Egyptian guide.
The United States has pledged “rock solid and unwavering” support for Israel, with President Joe Biden taking action on Sunday to provide “additional assistance” to the key ally and deploying an aircraft carrier group to the eastern Mediterranean.
Iran rejected on Monday the accusations of its involvement in Hamas’ attack, following a report by the Wall Street Journal claiming Iran’s role in planning and greenlighting the assault by the Palestinian group.
