The death toll from Hamas’s unprecedented multi-front assault on Israel passed 700 on Sunday, as Israeli forces hunted Palestinian militants still holding out in several locations in the south of the country.
By Sunday afternoon, Israel had regained control of most of the locations infiltrated by Hamas militants who stormed into the country from Gaza by land, air and sea before inflicting the highest number of casualties in a single attack within Israel’s borders since the state was founded in 1948.
However, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Jewish state still faced a “long and difficult” conflict with Hamas, as his security cabinet formally declared war.