After 48 hours following the violent raid by Hamas fighters, Israel declared that it had regained control of its territory, although reports of ongoing skirmishes and fresh border breaches into southern towns persisted.
Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Richard Hecht acknowledged the presence of remaining terrorists inside Israel, stating, “We can’t deny that there are terrorists still inside Israel. There are still isolated pockets of conflict, but, overall, we have regained control of the communities.”
In response to the situation, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a complete siege of the blockaded Gaza Strip, enforcing strict restrictions on power, food, gas, and the closure of all passages.
A former IDF commander now serving in Benjamin Netanyahu’s hardline nationalist government remarked, “We are contending with human animals, and we are responding accordingly.” Israel maintained control over all official passages in and out of the Hamas-governed enclave.
Israel had initiated a series of retaliatory airstrikes against Gaza, resulting in an escalating death toll on both sides. U.S. lawmakers were informed that four American citizens were among those killed in the Hamas attack, and there were reports of additional U.S. citizens still unaccounted for.
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Simultaneously, speculation swirled about Israel’s next course of action.
The IDF disclosed this morning that it had summoned at least 300,000 reservists since the incursion by Hamas, fueling widespread belief that Israel was poised to launch a ground operation.
While Israel had not provided an exact count of the individuals taken by Hamas, the Israeli Embassy to the U.S. confirmed on Sunday that dozens had been abducted.
Israel resident Yoni Asher recounted how he watched a distressing video circulating on social media that appeared to show his wife, two young daughters, and mother-in-law being forcibly taken by Hamas and crammed into a vehicle.
Asher disclosed that he had last spoken with his wife on Saturday when she called to report that terrorists had surrounded the place where she and her relatives were seeking refuge.
The last words she had uttered were her concerns about the armed militants nearby and her fear of speaking loudly on the phone. Asher expressed his deep anxiety, saying, “It was a very terrifying moment. The worst has happened—they discovered them and took them.”