ISTANBUL
After a surprise attack, called Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, launched by Hamas early Saturday morning that involved dozens of fighters infiltrating Israeli towns and engaging in heavy rocket strikes, a conflict has broken out between the two sides.
The Israeli military continues to be engaged in fighting with Hamas in some parts of southern Israel.
Here are some developments that took place in the region in the last few hours.
-Israeli warplanes launched new airstrikes in the Gaza Strip early Sunday.
This includes bombing a military location belonging to Palestinian groups in western Gaza. Residences and public buildings in the town of Beit Hanoun and other sites are also being attacked.
-A general strike on Sunday paralyzed life in the West Bank. Education has been suspended. Electricity has been cut off by Israeli authorities.
-Hamas has said that its fighters are still engaged in fierce clashes on several sites inside Israel, and fighting continues in several areas bordering the Gaza Strip, including Ofakim, Sderot, Yad Mordechai, Kfar Azza, Be’eri, Yatid, and Kissufim.
-The Israeli army confirmed an artillery attack inside Lebanon in response to a rocket firing incident. Lebanon’s Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the rocket attack, saying it was “in solidarity” with the Palestinians.
– Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked Palestinians to leave besieged Gaza as the army would turn Hamas sites “into rubble.”
At the political front
-Israeli President Isaac Herzog blamed Iran for a surprise Hamas attack.
-The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested an emergency ministerial-level meeting of the Arab League over the latest Israeli escalation.
-The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) urged conflicting sides to exercise restraint to prevent further escalation of tensions on the Lebanon-Israel border.
-Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has spoken over the telephone with French President Emmanuel Macron and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken amid escalating tension in the region.
Death toll and injuries
-The Israeli Health Ministry said at least 350 Israelis have been killed and more than 1,864 have so far been injured.
– At least 313 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Sunday. In a written statement, the ministry said 1,990 Palestinians were also wounded in the ongoing conflict.
-At least 20,000 Palestinians have been displaced in Gaza and are taking shelter in schools and emergency shelters, according to the UN humanitarian affairs office.
-At least 750 Israelis have been missing since fighting broke out on Saturday morning, local media reported early Sunday.
-At least 100 Israelis have been kidnapped in Gaza by Hamas, claims the Israeli media.
