Tel Aviv [Israel] : The death toll from the Hamas terror group's multi-front attack on Israel has risen to more than 300, Hebrew-language media reports say, citing medical officials, as per The Times of Israel. The toll is expected to continue to rise. As many as 1,590 people have been wounded, many seriously.
Various civilians as well as (Israel Defense Forces) IDF soldiers are believed to have been abducted and brought into Gaza; Hamas has boasted that the number of hostages is higher than Israel knows, as per The Times of Israel. At about 6:30 am (local time) on Saturday, a barrage of rocket fire began from Gaza into Israel, hitting several cities including Tel Aviv, Rehovot, Gedera and Ashkelon.
This was followed by several Hamas terrorists entering Israel from the Gaza Strip and taking over Israeli towns. Hamas military commander Muhammad Al-Deif called the operation "Al-Aqsa Storm" and said that the assault on Israel was a response to attacks on women, the desecration of the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and the ongoing siege of Gaza, CNN reported.
"Some graphic videos showed bodies strewn in the streets of the southern city of Sderot after the attack by Palestinian militants. Cars were riddled with bullets and lit on fire, according to The Washington Post.
Meanwhile, the IDF has said that it has killed seven terrorists attempting to enter Israel via the Zikim Beach just north of Gaza. The IDF says it prevented the terrorists from infiltrating into Israeli communities. The military also says that it recently struck three operational sites being used by Hamas in Gaza, as per The Times of Israel.
