Israel trying to regain full control of its territory day after Hamas attack

The Israeli military said Sunday that it is still battling Hamas militants in several Israeli communities a day after they broke through and flew over the Gaza border to launch an unprecedented wave of attacks.

Israeli media report that more than 300 Israeli civilians, including women and children, and soldiers were killed in the surprise attack with more than 1,800 injured.

In response, Israel has conducted hundreds of air strikes on the Gaza Strip – hitting apartment buildings and Hamas members homes – where officials say more than 300 Palestinians have been killed – including children – and over 2,000 have been injured. Pictures show rubble surrounding a mosque that was destroyed in an Israeli air strike in Khan Younis in the Gaza strip. Seven Palestinians were also reported killed in the West bank.

Israel says it is still battling militants in several communities inside its borders. It says Hamas fighters came in from some 29 points from Gaza to attack towns and military bases. The military confirms that Israelis were taken hostage back to Gaza but has not said how many.

In the north of the Israel, there have been strikes exchanged across the border with Lebanon, raising alarm at heightening regional tensions. Israel struck a site in Lebanon, after mortar fire into Israel that was claimed by the Hezbollah militant group. Hezbollah’s involvement opens up the possibility of a multi front conflict involving Israel, Gaza and Lebanon.

Early Saturday, at 6:30 a.m. local time, Palestinian militants launched a large-scale surprise attack from the blockaded Gaza Strip on civilian and military targets in Israel. They infiltrated using paragliders, an amphibious operation on the Mediterranean Sea, and on land, Israeli military spokesman Richard Hecht told reporters.

A border fence was breached with explosives — and also with heavy equipment, according to videos from the scene.

Simultaneously, Palestinian militants in Gaza fired heavy barrages of rockets toward Israel — more than 3,000 rockets throughout the day, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Air raid sirens and loud booms were heard in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and across central and southern Israel.

Late on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Israel will “reach into every place Hamas is hiding” and turn those locations into ruins, in a TV address. Israel’s military is calling up reservist soldiers, reinforcing positions and launching airstrikes on targets in Gaza.

Hamas, the Islamist militant group, took control of Gaza in 2007.

Anyone in areas where Hamas operates in the Gaza Strip should “leave those places now,” Netanyahu said. He added, “Israel will settle the score with anyone who harms them.”

But for some 2 million Palestinians living in Gaza, leaving Hamas-linked areas isn’t so simple. For more than 16 years, the Gaza Strip has been under a blockade by Israel and Egypt that restricts the movement of people and goods in and out of the country.

There are fears the brutality could spread. An Egyptian policeman opened fire on Israeli tourists Sunday in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, killing at least two Israelis and one Egyptian, local media reported.

Powers in the region have issued calls for a stop to the violence. The Saudi Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling for “an immediate end to the escalation of the conflict”.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan spoke with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. A Saudi Statement said the Kingdom rejects the targeting of civilians, and all sides should respect international humanitarian law.

In Iran, hardliners have been incensed for months over reports that Saudi Arabia might establish diplimatic ties with Israel. In Tehran, the Foreign Ministry spokesman referred to Israeli visits to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque as a “desecration” and called the attack a “spontaneous move by… resistance groups”.

The U.S. has responded in support of Israel. President Biden said he spoke with Netanyahu Saturday morning, telling him the U.S. is “ready to offer all appropriate means of support” to Israel.

“Terrorism is never justified,” Biden said in a statement on Saturday. “Israel has a right to defend itself and its people.”

The president said his administration’s “support for Israel’s security is rock solid and unwavering.”

High-level U.S. officials are in communication with counterparts in Israel and regional allies, from Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin — who said the Pentagon will continue to consult with Israel to make sure it has the support it needs.

What additional support, if any, is uncertain, U.S. officials tell NPR. The United States provides billions of dollars each year in assistance to Israel and helped the country build its Iron Dome missile defense system.

The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem urged all sides to refrain from violence and retaliatory attacks, stating, “Terror and violence solve nothing.”