Israeli security forces are carrying out operations to rescue hostages taken by Palestinian militants from Gaza and clear areas they seized on Saturday.
On Sunday morning, the military said they took control of 22 places but were still checking eight more.
Hamas launched a surprise attack with many gunmen and rockets, causing about 600 deaths in Israel.
In return, Israeli strikes in Gaza led to over 370 deaths.
In Israel, around 400 gunmen were killed and many were arrested, says the Israeli military.
Saturday was Israel’s deadliest day in 50 years.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it would be a long, tough war. He also warned Hamas that their hiding places would be destroyed.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said they were close to a big victory.
On Saturday morning, during the Jewish Sabbath and the festival of Simchat Torah, the attack began.
Hamas fighters broke through the strong fence around Gaza and entered southern Israel using motorbikes, paragliders, and boats.
According to an IDF spokesperson, there were many militants, possibly in the hundreds, and they launched over 3,000 rockets towards cities and towns in Israel all day long.
Lt Col Jonathan Conricus stated on Saturday night that they attacked many Israeli communities and IDF bases, going from door to door. They killed Israeli civilians in their homes and took others into Gaza.
The official number of casualties from Israel’s health ministry hasn’t been confirmed, but Israeli TV channels reported that it’s over 600. This figure was also mentioned in a Facebook post from the Government Press Office.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67045138
During the night, Israeli security teams rescued many people who were being held against their will. Almost 50 of them were in a small community’s dining area.
Around 10 militants who had taken control of the police station in the town of Sderot were killed.
Shooting continued into Sunday morning in communities near Gaza.
Close to the city of Ashkelon, Israeli forces pursued several Palestinian gunmen in a stolen car, resulting in a dramatic shootout on a main road where they were killed.
Earlier, the IDF informed reporters that security forces had taken control of 22 places, but there were still eight areas where troops were carefully checking houses to ensure they were safe and not being used for terrorist activities.
These locations included Sderot and the nearby community of Kfar Aza, where soldiers were reportedly working to free another group of hostages.
People who live close to the Gaza border are also being moved to safety.
Concerns are also growing for the dozens of Israeli soldiers and civilians, including women and children, who it is believed are being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
Relatives of those missing have been asked to hand their belongings to police stations so that DNA samples can be taken.
Noa Argamani, 25, and her boyfriend Avinatan Or were among hundreds of people partying at a rave in the fields next to Gaza when the attack began. A video posted on social media showed Ms Argamani screaming in panic as she was taken by militants into Gaza on a motorbike.
A friend, Amit Parpara, told the BBC that she sent him several messages as the attack unfolded.
“My first contact with Noa was around 06:30, when the [rockets] started,” he said. “She sent me her live location, asking for someone to save her and her boyfriend. She was hiding in a hole.”
“Around 08:30 was the last message that I got from her,” he added. “I tried to tell her to stay low. I tried to contact the police and the military so that they would know their location and might find them.”
“About half an hour later, I found that video… You can see clearly her terror.”
Mr Netanyahu warned Hamas that Israel held it responsible for the hostages’ well-being and would “settle accounts with anyone who harms one hair on their heads”.
He also said the IDF would “immediately use all its strength to destroy Hamas’s capabilities,” and told Gazans to leave their homes and take shelter.
In Gaza, the atmosphere has changed completely from Saturday morning, when many Palestinians were celebrating on the streets. People are now staying indoors, as the territory is rocked by explosions and clouds of black smoke engulf buildings.
The IDF said it had struck 426 targets belonging to Hamas by Sunday morning, including a compound belonging to the head of the group’s intelligence department.
Hamas said 12 houses belonging to senior leaders of the group were hit, as well as branches of its bank.
The multi-storey Watan Tower in Gaza City, where internet service providers that served half of the population were based, was also destroyed.
Palestinian health ministry officials said more than 300 people, including children, had been killed in Gaza and that another 1,990 had been injured.
About 20,000 people have taken shelter in UN schools and hospitals after being told by the IDF to leave their homes immediately, suggesting that they would be attacked by air soon. The Israeli warnings covered Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya, in northern Gaza, and the Daraj area of Gaza City.
‘Everywhere in Gaza you see death’
Dr Khamis Elessi, a neuro-rehabilitation and pain medicine consultant based in Gaza City, told the BBC that the situation was unbearable.
“Everywhere you are going in Gaza you see funerals, you see death. You see buildings collapsing. It’s like you are watching a movie about the end of life on this Earth,” he said.
“The kids are crying and screaming, there is no electricity, there’s no internet and so you feel you could be next.”
Israel’s security cabinet cut off Gaza’s electricity and fuel supplies and the entry of goods in retaliation for the Hamas attack.
In a separate development on Sunday, the IDF said its artillery had struck targets in southern Lebanon and carried out a drone strike on “terrorist infrastructure” in response to a rocket attack by the militant Hezbollah movement in the disputed Shebaa Farms/Mount Dov area.
Hezbollah said it had fired at three Israeli positions “in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance”, despite a warning from Israel and the US for other parties not to engage and risk a regional war.
The Lebanese army said the Israeli retaliatory fire wounded several people, while the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon said it was working with authorities in both countries to avoid a more serious escalation.
SOURCE:BBC