Summary
Over 1,100 people have died in the fighting, which started on Saturday with a surprise onslaught by Hamas. At least 700 Israelis have died, including 44 troops, as the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced that Israel was beginning a "long and difficult war". Israeli airstrikes decimated Gaza, where authorities have confirmed
Latest major developments
Zaka, an Israeli rescue organisation, reported that its paramedics had taken some 260 dead from a music festival that had been bombed by Hamas. Following the attacks, festival goers were seen in videos posted online rushing hastily and getting into automobiles.
Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, a spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces, updated the public on the IDF's response online. The dead toll would increase, he declared, noting that "almost 48 hours into the fighting...the situation in Israel is a dire one."
Hamas may have taken up to 100 Israeli hostages, including women and children, into Gaza, greatly complicating any military action by Israel to release them. For military strategists, one of the most urgent concerns is the whereabouts and future of the captives.