Israel's military has announced that it has regained control of areas in the south where Hamas militants were entrenched following their surprise incursion from Gaza. In addition to this, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has issued orders for a "complete siege" in the Gaza Strip, encompassing a prohibition on the entry of food and fuel.
The three-day conflict has resulted in a death toll exceeding 1,100 people on both sides, with over 700 casualties in Israel, including 44 soldiers. Israel officially declared war on the Palestinian militant group Hamas, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledging to eliminate the group's hideouts. Meanwhile, in Gaza, which endured relentless Israeli airstrikes, officials have reported at least 493 fatalities.
Hamas also unleashed a barrage of thousands of rockets at Israel and deployed a wave of fighters who targeted civilians and took at least 100 hostages.
Here are the most recent developments in the Israel-Palestine conflict:
1. Israeli rescue service Zaka has reported that their paramedics have retrieved approximately 260 bodies from a music festival that was attacked by Hamas. Videos circulating online depict festivalgoers fleeing in panic and seeking refuge in vehicles following the assault.
2. On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a "complete siege" on the Gaza Strip, which entails no electricity, food, fuel, and the closure of all access points. Gallant emphasized, "We are fighting human animals, and we act accordingly."
3. Gaza is already grappling with a total electricity blackout after Israel cut off the power supply to the region in response to Hamas' attacks on Israel.
4. While several members of the UN Security Council condemned Hamas on Sunday, the United States expressed regret over the absence of unanimity. During an emergency session, both the United States and Israel called for a robust condemnation of the Palestinian Islamists.
5. US President Joe Biden has ordered "additional support for Israel" in response to the "unprecedented terrorist assault by Hamas." This includes deploying the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier and a group of warships to the eastern Mediterranean, along with bolstering fighter aircraft squadrons in the region.
6. The Associated Press has reported that an Israeli airstrike in a Gaza refugee camp resulted in the deaths of 19 members of a Palestinian family. Israel has carried out strikes on over 800 targets in Gaza, including airstrikes that caused extensive damage to the town of Beit Hanoun.
7. Hamas has claimed that Israel's bombing of Gaza has led to the deaths of four Israeli captives since Sunday. Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson of the Hamas armed wing, stated that the bombardment resulted in the killing of both Israeli captives and their captors.
8. According to senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah who spoke to the Wall Street Journal, Iran played a role in orchestrating the surprise attacks against Israel over the weekend. The operation's details were reportedly fine-tuned during multiple meetings attended by officers from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and representatives from four Iran-backed militant groups, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah.
9. Islamic Jihad chief Ziad al-Nakhala has disclosed that his faction is holding more than 30 Israelis who were abducted in the Gaza Strip. These captives will not be released "until all of our prisoners are released," referring to the thousands of Palestinians incarcerated in Israeli prisons.
10. More than 24 hours after Hamas initiated its unprecedented assault, Israeli forces were still engaged in combat with militants in several locations on Monday. Tens of thousands of Israeli forces were deployed to confront remaining Hamas fighters in the south, where the bodies of civilians were discovered on roads and in town centers.
Hamas has named its attack "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood" and has called on "resistance fighters in the West Bank" and "Arab and Islamic nations" to join the battle. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has predicted "victory" and vowed to continue "the battle to liberate our land and our prisoners languishing in occupation prisons."
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