Israel vows to “destroy” Hamas as death toll mounts in unprecedented attack Several Americans confirmed dead


Tel Aviv – Israeli soldiers battled Hamas militants in the streets of southern Israel on Sunday, while in the north of the country they exchanged fire with Hezbollah militants who fired rockets from Lebanon. Some Israeli communities along the Lebanese border were urged to evacuate.

Israeli officials confirmed on Monday morning that more than 700 Israeli civilians and military personnel have been killed so far. Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel. Saturday morning from Gaza. Another 2,150 were injured.

Several American citizens were killed in the attacks, a National Security Council spokesman confirmed Sunday evening.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and the families of all those affected, and wish the injured a speedy recovery,” the spokesperson said, adding, “We are monitoring the situation closely and Stay in touch with our Israeli partners, especially the local authorities.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement Sunday night that he was told in a briefing that the U.S. was aware of four Americans killed, “but sadly we know the number will rise.” “

An aid worker walks past a damaged shop in Tel Aviv after it was hit by a rocket fired by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images


The Israeli rescue service Zika said its medical staff had recovered about 260 bodies from one. Music festival The Associated Press reported on Sunday that thousands of people who came under attack by Hamas militants attended. The total number is expected to be higher as other paramedic teams were working in the area.

It was the deadliest day in decades. The protracted Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Gaza’s health ministry said on Sunday that 370 Palestinians had been killed and 2,200 wounded.

The White House said President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “pledged his full support” to the Israeli government.


Biden strongly condemned the attack by Hamas and reiterated the US commitment to Israel.

“The President also indicated that additional aid to the Israeli Defense Forces is now on its way to Israel and that more aid will be provided in the coming days,” the White House said.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed Sunday that the U.S. “will rapidly provide additional equipment and resources, including ammunition, to the Israel Defense Forces.” Austin said he had dispatched the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean, which includes aircraft carriers and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy.

Other American politicians immediately condemned the attack by Hamas. And promised to support Israel.

Who attacked Israel?

Early Saturday morning, as Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip fired thousands of rockets from the small, blockaded Palestinian territory, dozens more breached the heavily fortified border fence and entered Israeli communities on motorcycles, paragliders and pickup trucks. , which launched an offensive. Taking Israel completely by surprise.

Hamas sent fighters to storm an estimated 22 separate locations in southern Israel, shooting people in the streets and kidnapping both civilians and Israeli security forces back into Gaza.

An Israeli soldier patrols near a police station that was the scene of fighting after a large-scale incursion by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip into Sderot, southern Israel, on October 8, 2023.

RONEN ZVULUN/REUTERS


Hamas is the Palestinian militant faction that rules the Gaza Strip, a 230-square-mile area home to more than two million people. Israel and the US have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization, and both countries accuse Iran of directly funding and supporting the group.

Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world and has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.

Israeli officials said they were fighting Hamas militants in six locations inside Israel on Sunday morning.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel was engaged in “a long and difficult war” and vowed that the Israeli military would use all its might to destroy Hamas.

Palestinians gather near the ruins of the Watan Tower, destroyed by Israeli strikes, on October 8, 2023, in Gaza City, Gaza Strip.

Majdi Fathi/Noor Photo/Getty


“All the places where Hamas hides, operates, we will turn them into ruins,” Netanyahu said.

“Get out of there,” Netanyahu urged Gaza residents, who have no way to leave the blockaded territory, as Israel has cut off electricity to the area.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Jordan, speaking before the closed emergency session of the United Nations, described the attacks as war crimes.

“The time has come to dismantle Hamas’ military terror infrastructure,” Jordan said. Asked by CBS News what he expected from the U.N. meeting, Jordan said, “Our only expectation is the clear expectation that the United Nations, which was founded, and in particular the Security Council, To stop wars, fight terrorism, will and will unequivocally condemn it. Hamas is oppressive and defends Israel’s right to self-defense.

Meanwhile, the Lebanon-based Hezbollah group said it fired dozens of rockets early Sunday morning at Israeli positions in the disputed, Israeli-occupied area known as the Golan Heights, which borders Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Is. Hezbollah said the attack was carried out in solidarity with the “Palestinian resistance” using “a large number of rockets and shells”.

The US government says that Hezbollah, like Hamas, receives most of its funding and support from Iran.

— Pamela Faulk contributed reporting.

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