Israel-Gaza War: The death toll in Israel from a surprise attack by the Hamas militant group on Saturday has risen to 70, the Magen David Adom emergency medical service said. The numbers make the operation the deadliest in Israeli territory in years.
The ruling militant group in the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack at daybreak, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land, and sea and catching the country off-guard on a major holiday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a mass mobilization of the country’s army reserves in response to the attack. “We are at war,” he said in a televised address. “The enemy will pay an unprecedented price.”
The United States has expressed support for Israel, with President Joe Biden calling Netanyahu to say that the US “stands with Israel during this difficult time.”