Death toll in Israel-Hamas conflict rises to 1,100 as ‘war’ enters third day
More than 700 Israelis, including 73 soldiers, and 413 Palestinians have been killed in the assault so far
The Israel-Hamas conflict has taken a devastating toll, surpassing a grim milestone with over 1,100 reported casualties. The Israeli army launched a series of overnight strikes, targeting more than 500 locations within the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously warned that the conflict would be protracted and arduous. This grim prediction came after Hamas fighters launched a surprise attack, unleashing a barrage of thousands of rockets. This assault resulted in a significant loss of life, with at least 250 Israeli fatalities and 230 Gazan casualties. Additionally, hundreds of individuals were taken hostage amid the chaos.
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According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), more than 700 Israelis, including 73 soldiers, have lost their lives, and approximately 1,200 others have been wounded, many of them in critical condition, since the large-scale Hamas attack. In response, Israeli airstrikes relentlessly targeted the besieged Gaza Strip, resulting in at least 413 Palestinian deaths at the time of reporting.
Tragically, among the Palestinian casualties, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported that 78 were children, with over 2,300 people sustaining injuries.
The Israeli military, in a statement, confirmed that their overnight operations had struck more than 500 targets associated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad within the Gaza Strip. IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus described Saturday’s assault by Hamas as “by far the worst day in Israeli history.” He estimated that around 1,000 Palestinian fighters were involved in the attack, prompting the deployment of approximately 100,000 reserve troops as the IDF aimed to expel Hamas from Israeli territory.
Conricus further emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, “Never before have so many Israelis been killed by one single event, let alone enemy activity in one day. This could be a 9/11 and a Pearl Harbor wrapped into one.”
In addition to the loss of life, there were reports of a significant number of Israeli civilians and soldiers being held within Gaza.
In response to the escalating conflict, US President Joe Biden ordered additional support for Israel, characterizing the situation as an “unprecedented terrorist assault by Hamas.”
