The death toll of Hamas' unprecedented surprise attack on Israel rose to 700, Israeli media reported on Sunday night, the second day of the deadly war, while hundreds of others were reported dead in the Gaza Strip, reported Xinhua.
Citing government officials, Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that at least 700 people were killed in Hamas' combined attack, in which militants from the Islamist group broke through the security fence and stormed nearby communities, killing scores and capturing dozens of civilians and soldiers. Simultaneously, Gaza militants fired some 3,000 rockets at southern and central Israel.
On Sunday night, the Israeli Health Ministry updated the number of injuries in Israeli hospitals, reporting that at least 2,243 were wounded, including 22 in critical condition.
In southern Israel, the Israeli military still has not taken full control and Hamas militants were in several communities near Gaza continuing gunfights with Israeli soldiers.
The IDF Home Front Command called residents in the south to stay at home.
Meanwhile in Gaza, at least 370 Palestinians were killed by Israeli airstrikes, and 2,200 others were injured, according to a statement released by the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.
On Saturday night, Israeli warplanes continued their attacks on military and civilian facilities in various locations in the coastal enclave, Palestinian security sources told Xinhua.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah II on Sunday discussed efforts to halt the ongoing deadly Palestinian-Israeli escalation over phone talks, said the Egyptian Presidency in a statement.
The talks came a day after a massive deadly conflict erupted between the Palestinians and the Israelis in the Gaza Strip that left heavy casualties on both sides.
The two leaders "stressed the priority of coordinating regional and international efforts toward ending the escalation and violence, exercising self-restraint, sparing blood and preventing a further exacerbation of the situation," according to the statement.
Israel was evacuating residents in communities in the vicinity of the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the second day of battles with the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
All civilians in the 24 communities adjacent to the security fence were asked to evacuate their homes immediately, the Israeli military said in a statement, noting the move follows "the operational situational assessment."
Hamas, which rules Gaza, launched an unprecedented surprise attack on Israel on Saturday and Hamas militants breached in a massive attack on the communities near the border.
At least 20,000 Palestinians from various governorates of the Gaza Strip have been displaced to the schools belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), a senior official said on Sunday.
Adnan Abu Hasna, the UNRWA media advisor, said in a press statement that "the displaced people, including women, children, and elderly people, headed to 44 UNRWA's schools."
He added that "28 schools only were equipped for sheltering the displaced people during the conflict times," expecting the number of displaced people to increase in the coming hours.
- Israel
- Palestine
- Conflict
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
