Israel's defense minister orders 'complete siege' of Gaza

GAZA

Israel's defense minister has ordered a “complete siege” on Gaza, saying authorities would cut electricity and block the entry of food and fuel.

Israel and Egypt have imposed various levels of blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.

Meanwhile, Israel battled Hamas fighters still holed up in southern towns Monday and massed tens of thousands of troops near the Gaza Strip after vowing to defeat the Palestinian militant group whose surprise attack the shocked nation has likened to 9/11.

Israel's army declared that its forces were in "full control of communities" in its southern territory near Gaza, two days after Hamas militants launched a suprise attack there.

"We are in full control of the communities," military spokesman Daniel Hagari told journalists, adding however that there still might be "terrorists" in the area.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had warned Israel to prepare for a "long and difficult" war after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise assault from Gaza on Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets and sending a wave of fighters who gunned down civilians and took at least 100 hostages.

More than 800 Israelis have been killed since Hamas launched its large-scale attack, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Monday. Another 1,200 people have been wounded, many critically.

In retaliation, Israeli air strikes have hammered the impoverished and blockaded Gaza Strip, an enclave of 2.3 million people, with officials there reporting at least 560 Palestinian deaths.

Thick plumes of smoke billowed from the Palestinian enclave as the strikes continued in the early hours of the morning, an AFP correspondent reported.

IDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus estimated around 1,000 Palestinian militants had participated in Hamas's assault on Saturday, which he called "by far the worst day in Israeli history".

"Never before have so many Israelis been killed by one single thing, let alone enemy activity in one day," he said.

"This could be a 9/11 and a Pearl Harbour wrapped into one."

Around 100,000 reserve troops have been deployed to the south as the IDF battles to expel Hamas fighters from Israeli territory, he said, adding that a "very large amount" of Israeli civilians and soldiers were being held inside Gaza.

US President Joe Biden ordered "additional support for Israel in the face of this unprecedented terrorist assault by Hamas".

At least four US citizens were killed in the attack, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement after a briefing, adding that the toll was likely to rise.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington "will be rapidly providing the Israel Defense Forces with additional equipment and resources, including munitions".

Austin directed the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and group of warships to the eastern Mediterranean, and said that Washington was augmenting fighter aircraft squadrons in the region.

Hamas has said the US aid amounts to "aggression" against Palestinians.

Israel was stunned when Hamas launched its multi-pronged offensive on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, with at least 3,000 rockets raining down as fighters infiltrated towns and kibbutz communities and stormed an outdoor rave where many revellers were shot dead.

Panicked Israelis hiding in their homes told reporters that militants were going door to door and shooting civilians or dragging them away.

At least 100 citizens were captured by Hamas and abducted into Gaza, with images circulating on social media of bloodied hostages.

Yifat Zailer, 37, said she was horrified to see video footage from Gaza that showed her cousin and the woman's children, aged nine months and three years.

"That's the only confirmation we have," she told AFP, her voice breaking with emotion, and adding there was no information on her cousin's husband or her elderly parents.

"After the army took control of the kibbutz, they weren't at home," she said. "We assume they were kidnapped ... We want to know what their condition is, we want them to return safe. They're innocent civilians."

Israel also came under attack from the north when Lebanon's Hezbollah launched guided missiles and artillery shells Sunday "in solidarity" with the unprecedented Hamas offensive, without causing any casualties.

Israel responded with artillery strikes across the UN-patrolled border.

"We recommend Hezbollah not to come into this," said army spokesman Richard Hecht. "If they come, we are ready."

Netanyahu -- who leads a hard-right coalition government but has received pledges of support from political opponents -- has vowed to turn Hamas hideouts "to rubble" and urged Palestinians there to flee.

Israeli attacks since then have levelled several Gaza residential towers and destroyed a mosque in Gaza's Khan Yunis, as well as hitting the central bank.

More than 20,000 people in the Palestinian territory have been displaced due to fighting, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said.

Dubbing its attack "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood", Hamas called on "resistance fighters in the West Bank" and "Arab and Islamic nations" to join the battle.