Israel vows complete siege on Gaza as it strikes the Palestinian territory after incursion by Hamas
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s military ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip on Monday, halting deliveries of food, water, fuel and supplies to its 2.3 million people as it pounded the Hamas-ruled territory with waves of airstrikes in retaliation for the militants’ bloody weekend incursion.
Around 1,400 Israelis and Palestinians are dead two days after Hamas launched an attack that caught Israel’s vaunted military and intelligence apparatus completely off guard and led to fierce battles in its streets for the first time in decades.
The Israeli military said it had largely gained control in its southern towns where it had been battling Hamas gunmen. But Hamas and other militants in Gaza say they are holding more than 130 soldiers and civilians snatched from inside Israel.
Israeli tanks and drones were deployed to guard breaches in the Gaza border fence to prevent new incursions. Thousands of Israelis were evacuated from more than a dozen towns near Gaza, and the military summoned 300,000 reservists — a massive mobilization in a short time.