Israeli media reports announced that up to 750 Israelis are currently missing since the start of the “Al-Aqsa Storm” operation launched by Palestinian factions on Saturday morning.
The Israeli army’s spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a statement on Sunday that Israel is now facing a difficult situation following the attacks.
“The areas of the Gaza Strip are living in dangerous conditions and we will work to evacuate the population to continue the fighting,” Hagari said.
“We are coming to a war that will last for many weeks. The goal in the end is to restore confidence to the residents of the Strip. There has been a serious intelligence failure, but the current time is right for fighting and directing strikes,” he added.
Hagari also claimed on Sunday that Israel has killed more than 400 Hamas fighters, and dozens more have been held captive during the clashes between the two sides since Saturday.
The “Al-Aqsa Storm” operation was a series of coordinated attacks launched by Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip and Israel on Saturday.
The Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas on Sunday announced the killing of the commander of the communications battalion in the Israeli army amid the escalation of clashes that have been taking place since Saturday.
The Palestinian group also reported that artillery units are supporting fighters with rockets in Ofakim, Sderot, Yad Mordechai, and others.
