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Israel-Palestine war: Over 1,200 dead, 'complete siege' on Gaza; what you need to know right now
Israeli troops were still battling to clear out Hamas gunmen more than two days after they burst across the fence on a deadly rampage
The Hamas militants on Saturday (Oct 7) blew through a fortified border fence and gunned down civilians and soldiers in Israeli communities along the Gaza frontier during a Jewish holiday.
Stunned by the unprecedented assault on its territory, a grieving Israel launched a withering barrage of strikes on Gaza. Here are some key updates from the conflict:
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Declaration of war
As bodies of Israeli civilians were strewn across the streets of Sderot in southern Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war. "We will take mighty vengeance for this wicked day. We will win this war but the price is too heavy to bear," he said.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said the assault that had begun in Gaza, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, would spread to the West Bank and Jerusalem. He predicted "victory" and vowed to press ahead with "the battle to liberate our land and our prisoners languishing in occupation prisons".
Israeli defence minister on Monday ordered 'complete siege' on Gaza Strip with no electricity, food or fuel.
Death toll crosses 1,200
On Monday, Israeli troops fought to regain control around the Gaza Strip and evacuate people from the embattled border area as the death toll from the war with Hamas surged above 1,200 by the third day of clashes.
More than 700 Israelis have been killed since Hamas launched its large-scale attack, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday. The Hamas rampage included an assault on a crowded music festival where authorities had removed about 260 bodies by Sunday.
Scene on ground
Israel's military scoured the country's south for Hamas fighters and guarded breaches in its border fence with tanks on Monday, as it pounded the Gaza Strip from the air and mustered for a campaign its prime minister said would destroy “the military and governing capabilities” of the militant group.
Airstrikes flattened a 14-story tower that held Hamas offices. Thousands were wounded and some 123,000 displaced people in Gaza were in shelters, the UN said.
Hamas said the group's fighters continued to battle outside Gaza and had captured more Israelis as recently as Monday morning.
Meanwhile, Israel hit more than 1,000 targets in Gaza, its military said. "Overnight IDF fighter jets, helicopters, aircraft and artillery struck over 500 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip," the military said in a statement.
Captives in Gaza
The leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which participated in Saturday’s attack, said it was holding more than 30 Israelis among dozens of captives in Gaza. He said they would not be released until all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are freed.
Global impact
The conflict is making a global impact with Britain, Canada, France and Germany among nations stepping up security around potential Jewish targets as pro-Palestinian protests break out in the Middle East and beyond.
Foreign hostages/dead
Several countries reporting nationals killed, abducted or missing, among them Brazil, Britain, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Nepal, Thailand and Ukraine. Nine US nationals are confirmed dead.
A dozen Thai nationals were killed, nine wounded and 11 more kidnapped, Thailand's government said. Nepal said on Monday at least 10 of its nationals were killed, and the cabinet will hold an emergency meeting to discuss how to evacuate thousands of others working and studying there.
Hungary is currently evacuating 110 more people from Israel, bringing the total number of people it has brought out of the country to 325 including 46 children, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a Facebook post on Monday.
Three military planes evacuating Poles from Israel landed in Warsaw on Monday morning, the Polish authorities said.
Travel advisory
The British government said it had updated its travel advice for Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, advising against all but essential travel as fighting continued near Gaza.
Several international air carriers have suspended flight services with Tel Aviv. American Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa and Ryanair are among those pulling flights to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport.
Cathay Pacific Airways said on Monday that it was cancelling its flights from Hong Kong to Tel Aviv on Tuesday. Cathay said it would provide further updates ahead of its next scheduled service on Thursday Oct. 12. China's Hainan Airlines cancelled flights between Shanghai and Tel Aviv on Monday. Other airlines suspending flights included Aegean, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Wizz Air and Air Canada.
Some flights from the UAE have been affected following the escalation of tension between Israel and Palestine, airlines have confirmed to Khaleej Times.
Turmoil roils markets
Conflict in the Middle East lifted oil and safe-haven government bonds and hurt global stocks and Israeli assets on Monday after Friday's sizzling September U.S. jobs report raised the rate stakes for inflation figures later in the week.
Oil prices surged more than 2% on Monday as military clashes between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas ignited fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East.
Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon's dollar-denominated government bonds all fell on Monday after a weekend of major violence in Israel triggered a region-wide market selloff.
Gold prices rose more than 1% on Monday as investors rushed to safe-haven commodity after the Middle East crisis.
In currency markets the main gainers were the safe haven Japanese yen, Swiss franc and U.S. dollar. The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against six other major currencies, was up 0.18% at 106.4, while the euro fell 0.5% against the Japanese currency to 157.2 yen.
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