Israel has launched devastating airstrikes on Gaza after the militant group Hamas carried out one of the deadliest attacks in Israel’s history, killing 700 people on Saturday. The escalating violence has stoked fears of another war between Israel and Palestine.
The Hamas incursion into Israeli towns was the bloodiest such attack since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. In retaliation, Israel bombed Gaza targets including housing blocks, tunnels, and Hamas officials’ homes on Sunday, killing over 400 Palestinians, including 20 children.
The strikes came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed “mighty vengeance” against Hamas. The Islamist group congratulated itself for the attack but denied direct involvement.
The conflict threatens to ignite the Israeli-Palestinian tinderbox and roil the wider Middle East. Beyond Gaza, Israeli forces exchanged fire with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia. Two Israeli tourists were also killed in Egypt.
Though Western nations backed Israel’s right to self-defense, appeals for restraint came from around the world. However, Iran and Hezbollah praised Hamas for the attack that killed hundreds of Israeli civilians.
In southern Israel, Hamas gunmen continued clashing with security forces Sunday, a day after infiltrating towns and rocketing civilian areas. Israel said its forces had regained control of most border areas.
With thousands of troops mobilized around Gaza, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, Israel has begun evacuating Israeli communities near the volatile frontier. Hamas kept up rocket attacks into Sunday.
The U.S. confirmed several Americans were among the Israeli dead. President Biden reiterated U.S. support for Israel against “an appalling assault by Hamas terrorists.” But the conflict threatens to destabilize the region and roil global markets concerned about any impact on Middle East oil supplies.
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