All The Latest Developments As Fighting Continues Between Israel and Hamas.
By Olusiji Balogun
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says his Security Cabinet has declared the country at war following a deadly Hamas assault in southern Israel.
The decision, announced on Sunday, formally authorizes “the taking of significant military steps,” it said in a statement.
“The war that was forced on the State of Israel in a murderous terrorist assault from the Gaza Strip began at 06:00 yesterday,” it said.
It gave no further details. But Netanyahu had previously declared the country at war, and the military has promised a harsh response in Gaza.
Palestinians Seek Refuge in UN Schools.
The UN agency for Palestinian Refugees, UNRWA, said over 20,000 people were sheltering in 44 of its schools around Gaza by Saturday evening.
“The number (of displaced) is rapidly increasing, “ said Inas Hamdan, acting public information officer in Gaza.
The agency said three of its schools suffered “collateral” damage from Israeli airstrikes. The agency also said its operations of nine water wells around the Gaza Strip were stopped early on Saturday. Operations in three wells resumed on Sunday, said Hamdan.
The agency’s food distribution centres, which provide for over 540,000 Gaza residents, have been closed since Saturday.
Hundreds Killed Since Saturday.
The death toll in Israel following a surprise attack by the militant group Hamas stands at 600, according to several Israeli media outlets.
The Kan public broadcaster and Channel 12, as well as the Haaretz and Times of Israel newspapers, reported the toll on Sunday.
There has been no official confirmation of the number of deaths on the Israeli side since the fighting erupted early on Saturday.
Palestinian officials say more than 300 people have been killed in Gaza, without differentiating between fighters and civilians.
Netanyahu Says There Will Be A ‘Long and Difficult’ War.
Israeli forces on Sunday tracked down hundreds of Palestinian fighters who infiltrated into their territory and bombarded the Gaza Strip after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of a “long and difficult” war against Hamas.
The surprise offensive, launched at dawn on Saturday by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in power in Gaza, left hundreds dead on both sides.
“The first phase is being completed… with the elimination of the vast majority of enemy forces that have infiltrated our territory,” Netanyahu said, warning the Israelis that they were “embarking on a long and difficult war.”
The army announced that it would evacuate all residents living near the Palestinian territory in the next 24 hours.
On Sunday, Israeli forces regained control of the Sderot police station, bordering Gaza, after “neutralising 10 terrorists who were there”, according to police.
The Israeli authorities have not provided any figures on the civilians and soldiers kidnapped by Palestinian fighters, but the Israeli online news site Ynet puts forward “an estimate of around a hundred people”.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad, another armed Palestinian group, claimed to have captured “numerous soldiers” from Israel.
Schools will remain closed on Sunday, the start of the week in Israel.
Meanwhile, in separate statements, the Nigerian and Ghanaian governments have condemned the attacks calling on the two sides to the Israel-Palestine conflict to return to the negotiation table.
