The Palestinian group Hamas has launched the biggest attack on Israel in years with many killed, hostages taken, and fighting raging after a surprise assault that included gunmen entering Israeli towns after a barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, Al-Jazeera reported
Israel said Hamas has declared war as its army mobilised and air force launched strikes on Gaza with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promising harsh retaliation.
Five point summary from BBC
- Dozens of Israelis are believed to have been captured by Palestinian militants in an unprecedented assault into Israeli territory
- “We are at war,” says Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu
- At least 70 people in Israel have been confirmed killed, with hundreds of others being treated in hospitals, according to emergency services
- Nearly 200 people have been killed in retaliatory Israeli strikes in the Gaza strip, officials there say
- Hamas commander Mohammed Deif says the Palestinian militant group had “decided to say enough is enough”