A rocket launched from the Gaza Strip strikes an area near Sderot, southern Israel.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Israel’s defense minister ordered a “complete siege” of the long-blockaded Gaza Strip on Monday, as Hamas, the militant group controlling the territory, threatened to execute a civilian hostage every time an airstrike hits Gazans “in their homes without warning.”
At least 150 Israelis have been taken hostage by Palestinian assailants since the brazen incursion Saturday, which incited three days of border battles and Israeli retaliatory strikes that, Monday, hit a mosque and a marketplace in Gaza.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that “no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel” would be allowed into Gaza, in effect trying to cut off the crowded coastal territory already under a 16-year blockade.
The continued violence has added to the stunned disbelief enveloping Israel, where families are watching men and women who had finished their main military service called back to serve and where the names of the dead have scrolled across television screens. About 800 people have been killed in Israel and nearly 2,400 wounded.
The chief military spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, declared that the army had regained control of border communities but acknowledged that “there may still be terrorists in the area.” And Lt. Col. Richard Hecht of the Israel Defense Forces acknowledged in a briefing Monday that the fighting was ongoing, saying: “We thought by this morning we’d be in a better place.”
In Gaza, Israeli forces have launched hundreds of airstrikes since the incursion, including one Monday that ripped through a marketplace in northern Gaza, killing dozens.
Israeli officials say the strikes have targeted sites linked to Hamas. U.N. and Palestinian officials say a hospital, homes and mosques have been hit. At least 560 Palestinians have been killed, according to authorities in Gaza, and at least 2,900 others have been injured.
As Israel mobilized 300,000 reservists, it sent troops and tanks to the south to prepare for what military officials said would be the next stage of the war, which analysts said could involve a ground invasion of Gaza. But such an operation seemed unlikely to begin until Israel secures its own territory, and its timing and scale remained unclear because Hamas and other fighters are holding so many Israelis hostage.
Here’s what else to know:
— Hamas’ armed wing, al-Qassam, said four Israelis being held by the gunmen were killed in an Israeli bombardment overnight, along with the Palestinians holding them captive. The claim could not be independently verified.
— The White House said it had confirmed the deaths of nine Americans in the attack by Hamas and that other Americans remain unaccounted for. A number of other foreign nationals also have been confirmed dead or missing.
— The Pentagon on Sunday announced it was sending additional munitions to Israel and moving more Navy warships, including an aircraft carrier, and combat aircraft closer to Israel in a show of support. The United States is working to fulfill several specific requests from Israel for military assistance, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, without providing details.
— Schools remain closed in much of Israel, airlines have curtailed flights to Tel Aviv’s main airport, and volunteers are donating blood and food.
— Israel’s Home Front Command instructed the residents of 28 towns and villages in the north of the country, near its border with Lebanon, to enter bomb shelters and protected spaces because of “a large-scale offensive.” The Lebanese army said Israeli planes and artillery struck near the towns of Dhayra and Aita al Shaab near the border with Israel earlier Monday.
— Israeli security officials said at least 109 people were believed to have been killed at a music festival early Saturday when assailants swept into the concert site 3 miles from the Gaza border. Videos show panicked concertgoers fleeing south into the desert and more than 100 abandoned vehicles on the side of the road.