The death toll in Israel has reached at least 600 people, according to government numbers, with more than 100 believed to be kidnapped and more than 2,000 people injured after the Hamas militant group attacked the country by air, land and sea.
Officials in Gaza say at least 370 people have died in the territory as well.
The Associated Press reported on Sunday morning that soldiers were battling with Hamas fighters in the streets and buildings in Gaza were levelled by retaliation strikes by the Israelis. But the south was not the only place where fighting was seen, with reporting noting a brief exchange with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group also erupting in the north, raising fears the conflict could grow.
German Chancellor OIaf Scholz stressed the need to avoid a wider “conflagration” in the Middle East.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the security cabinet had approved the state of war that he had vowed a day earlier. The security cabinet also said in a statement it has approved cutting off the supply of electricity, goods and fuel into Gaza.
Netanyahu said the country is now embarking on “a long and difficult war.”
As Israel faces the biggest and deadliest incursion into the country in 50 years, the response to the onslaught has raised questions among security experts.
Cliff Kupchan with the Eurasia Group told Global News in an interview on Saturday that Israel may have been caught off guard due to two national preoccupations: Netanyahu’s controversial judicial reforms and the resulting protests, and a focus by the Israel Defence Forces on the West Bank.
“It may be the case that we learn soon that they’ve taken their eyes off the south and that vulnerability has been exploited,” he said.
Number of captured unknown
Hamas has also claimed it has taken several Israelis captive, including senior Israeli military officers. In a video released shortly after midnight, it also said that the number captured was “several times greater” than dozens and that the abductions were spread throughout all areas of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military has confirmed a “substantial” number of Israelis were abducted, but has yet to give an exact figure.
An Egyptian official told the Associated Press that Israel has reached out to Cairo for help in ensuring the safety of those abducted, with Egypt’s intelligence chief having contacted both Hamas and the Islamic Jihad militant group for information.
The official said Palestinian leaders don’t yet have a “full picture” of the hostages, but those brought to Gaza were taken to “secure locations.”
The official added that talks of a potential ceasefire had also been raised with both sides, but Israel was not open to a truce “at this stage.”
Kupchan also said Saturday it would be difficult for Netanyahu not to do something others have avoided for 20 years: a land war in the Gaza Strip to dismantle Hamas’s operational capability.
He added that wasn’t necessarily the next step but it would mark a “major escalation that we’re on the cusp of as we speak.”
‘Terrorism and war bring no solutions’
In the hours since the first strike, numerous world leaders have condemned the violence, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden.
Pope Francis, in his Sunday address, called for an end to violence and the attacks.
“Let the attacks and weapons cease, please, because it must be understood that terrorism and war bring no solutions, but only to the death and suffering of many innocent lives,” he said.
Global Affairs Canada has said there are no signs of any Canadian nationals being killed or injured during the attacks. However, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday that they were working to verify reports of missing or dead Americans overseas.
The BBC reported a young German woman is believed to be among those taken by the militants, while a British man serving in the Israeli army was among those killed.
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said staff in the embassy in Tel Aviv are all accounted for and that officials are working to support Canadians in Israel.
As the fighting continues, several major airlines in Canada and the U.S. have cancelled flights to Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel.
United Airlines, Delta and American Airlines have all announced a temporary suspension of services to and from the international airport near Tel Aviv.
Air Canada said its flights from Toronto and Montreal were both suspended and those scheduled to travel to Tel Aviv should contact their airline for more information.
–with files from The Associated Press and Reuters
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