The horror of Hamas' rezzou on Saturday morning, which claimed the lives of 900 Israelis, has now been followed by the relentless military response of the Jewish state, whose army has mobilized 360,000 reservists as part of Operation Iron Swords. Tens of thousands of troops have already begun the siege of the Gaza Strip, which is three times the size of Paris. .
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The army has more or less regained control of the fence on the border [with Gaza], we know that since last night, no one has entered," said Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, spokesman for the IDF. "But infiltrations can still happen" into Israel from Gaza, the officer warned, adding that the IDF had "almost completed" the evacuation of the 24 communities near the border. Sderot, for example, in the south of the country, is starting to evacuate all residents over the age of 60.
Inside Israeli territory, the army is finishing reducing the last pockets of Islamist fighters. Thus, near Zikim, the IDF sent a helicopter gunship and infantry to fight a group of terrorists. A total of 1500,<> bodies of Hamas terrorists have been found in Israel, the IDF said.
The IDF, meanwhile, has launched an aerial bombing campaign and continues to identify Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip. 1352,700 of them were destroyed, she said. The Palestinian Authority has reported <> deaths in the enclave.
Gunfire in northern Israel
About 200,000 people, out of 2.3 million Gazans, have been displaced, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, had advised them to leave and the IDF spokesman tweeted that "the IDF is not responsible for the crossing" of Rafah, a crossing point with Egypt. "I advise everyone who can get out to get out," he added.
In the north of the country, near the Syrian and Lebanese borders, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah fire has raised fears of the opening of a new front. Residents of several localities in the Golan Heights (see map above) have been ordered to stay at home, due to "suspicious flying objects", probably drones launched from Lebanon. Israeli fighter jets are currently patrolling the area.