• World

Israel, Gaza Reel as Death Toll Soars Above 1,100 in War with Hamas

• By Agence France-Presse (AFP)
• October 9, 2023 8:55 AM

Israel, reeling from the deadliest attack on its territory, declared war on Hamas Sunday as the conflict's death toll surged above 1,100 after the Palestinian militant group launched a surprise assault from Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu steeled the nation for a "long and difficult" war a day after Hamas fired a barrage of thousands of rockets at Israel and sent a wave of fighters who gunned down civilians and took at least 100 hostages.

More than 700 Israelis have been killed since Hamas launched its large-scale attack, according to the latest toll from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday -- the country's worst losses since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.

"Israel was caught flat-footed by the unprecedented attack," said Jonathan Panikoff, director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative. "I've heard multiple comparisons to 9/11, and many Israelis are struggling to understand how this could have happened."

Gaza officials reported at least 413 deaths in the impoverished and blockaded enclave of 2.3 million people, which was hammered by Israeli air strikes on 800 targets ahead of what many feared may be a looming ground invasion.

US President Joe Biden ordered "additional support for Israel in the face of this unprecedented terrorist assault by Hamas".

A US National Security Council spokesperson confirmed that "several" Americans had been killed in the surprise attack, but did not provide further details.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington "will be rapidly providing the Israel Defense Forces with additional equipment and resources, including munitions".

- 'We will not give up' -

Hamas has labelled its attack "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood" and called on "resistance fighters in the West Bank" and "Arab and Islamic nations" to join the battle.

Its attack came half a century after the outbreak of the 1973 conflict called the Yom Kippur War in Israel, sparking bitter recriminations for what was widely seen as an enormous intelligence failure.

"There was a very bad failure here," said Sderot resident Yaakov Shoshani, 70. "The Yom Kippur War was small compared to it, and I was a soldier in the Yom Kippur War."

He recalled the terror of the attack on their town near Gaza.

"I held a kitchen knife and a large screwdriver, and I told my wife that, if something happens, to make sure to read the Kaddish (prayer) over me, if you stay alive," he said. "And so we stayed close to each other at home, shut everything and turned off the lights."

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh has predicted "victory" and vowed to press ahead with "the battle to liberate our land and our prisoners languishing in occupation prisons".

An Israeli survivor of the attack on Sderot, Yitzhak, 67, said he now expected the army to "conquer Gaza house by house, clean the area there properly, and not leave Gaza until they get the very last rocket out of the ground."

Many Gaza residents voiced defiance.

"We will not give up, and we are here to stay," said Mohammed Saq Allah, 23. "This is our land, and we will not abandon our land."

© Agence France-Presse