Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is at war after Gaza militants launched a surprise attack early Saturday, firing thousands of rockets and entering Israel by land, sea and air using paragliders.
Dozens of people have died and nearly 800 are wounded in Israel, officials said.
In Gaza, at least 198 Palestinians have been killed Saturday, with 1,610 injured, the Palestinian health ministry said. Israel responded to the attack with air strikes on Gaza, while Netanyahu vowed to „exact a huge price from the enemy.”
The Israeli defense forces said troops are fighting in at least a half-dozen locations. Some residents in Israel said militants were trying to break into their homes. Hamas claimed it had captured several Israeli soldiers near the border.
Saturday’s assault comes on the 50th anniversary of the 1973 War in which Arab states blitzed Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
