Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country is “at war” following a surprise large-scale attack by Palestinian militants from Gaza early Saturday morning.
The militant group Hamas, which controls the coastal enclave, fired a barrage of rockets and sent gunmen into Israel in a multi-pronged and unprecedented attack in the long-running conflict between the two sides.
“Citizens of Israel, we are at war – not in an operation, not in rounds – at war,” Netanyahu said in a video message.
Israeli authorities said that at least 70 people were killed and at least 985 injured and that a number of Israelis had been taken captive by Hamas.
Israel’s military responded by launching airstrikes on what it said were Hamas targets in Gaza, where Palestinian officials said at least 198 people were killed and hundreds more injured as a result.
