Israel situation update: More than 1,000 people have lost their lives so far in Israel and Gaza after the Palestinian militant outfit Hamas on Saturday launched a barrage of rockets from Gaza strip to Israel and the Israel Defence Forces launched retaliatory operations into Gaza, according to Israeli media reports.
More than 700 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed whereas over 2,100 have been injured in the country so far. More than 413 people have lost their lives and around 2,300 have been injured so far in the Gaza strip, bringing the total death toll to more than 1,000.
The development was confirmed by the Israeli Foreign Ministry in a post on X formerly known as Twitter. "This is what the last day and a half in Israel has looked like. Entire families butchered in their homes. Grandmothers, mothers and children kidnapped and taken hostage by Hamas. 700 Israelis murdered. Hamas will pay heavily for these war crimes," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a post.
Of those who have lost their lives in the country, at least three are US citizens, according to a CNN report. French foreign ministry has confirmed the death of a French citizen whereas Ukrainian foreign ministry said that two of its citizens have died in Israel, AFP news agency reported.
An official from Nepal Embassy in Israel told news agency ANI that at least 10 Nepali students have been killed. Thailand's Foreign Ministry on Sunday stated 11 of its citizens have been captured by Hamas fighters.
"They are innocent and have nothing to do with any conflict," Thailand PM Srettha Thavisin told the Bangkok Post. Moreover, a British citizen was also reported missing after an attack by Hamas on a music festival near Gaza, as per Israeli embassy in the UK.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told ABC's This Week that as many as 1,000 Hamas fighters reportedly participated in the attacks, which reduced several Israeli cities to rubble. He also discussed the potential involvement of Iran in supporting the Palestinian militant outfit in interviews on Sunday news shows.
"In fact, Hamas wouldn't be around the way that it is without the support that it's received from Iran over the years. In this specific instance, we have not yet seen evidence that Iran directed or was behind this particular attack, but there's certainly a long relationship," Blinken told CNN during an interview.
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