Just two days ago on October 7, in a surprise attack on Israel — almost 50 years, exactly, after the Yom Kippur War of 1973 — Palestinian Militant group Hamas rushed through the southern border attacking the country by surprise. Since then, the death toll has passed 1,100 people.
The attack went under the radar of Israeli intelligence, with hundreds of missile launches, bulldozers breaking through walls and a barrage of soldiers engaging in shootouts lasting hours long — killing Israeli soldiers and innocent civilians.
Hamas is said to have captured over 100 Israeli hostages, claiming that some are high-ranking army officers.
In these previous two days of battle, this is the highest death toll compared to any previous violent conflict between Palestine and Israel in the past twenty years. The Israeli foreign ministry reports that 700 Israelis had died as of 10:20 p.m Sunday with an estimated 413 Palestians dead, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Now, Israeli soldiers are working toward gaining towns and military bases back near their southern border, with an increased worry regarding hostages and civilians. Thousands of tanks and troops have been sent south preparing for the next stages of the war.
Israel has struck nearly 500 targets in Gaza since the invasion.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it will be a “long and difficult war,” with Hamas, and “We will bring the fight to them with a might and scale that the enemy has not yet known.”
According to the Pentagon, munitions will be sent in support of Israel, as well as warships, an aircraft carrier and a combat aircraft ready to assist.