Israel continued its bombardment of Gaza through Monday morning as the death toll in its war against Hamas crossed 1,100. Israel Defence Forces aircraft pounded Hamas targets in the Palestinian enclave which included a building housing Hamas operatives and a command center used by its senior officials.
As Israel defence minister Yoav Gallant warned that the Gaza Strip "will pay a heavy price that will change reality for generations", IDF's airstrikes pummelled tunnels, a mosque and homes of Hamas officials in Gaza, killing more than 400 people, including 20 children.
The military said on Sunday said it had deployed tens of thousands of soldiers around Gaza and was starting to evacuate Israelis around the frontier.
Though Israel is yet to release an official toll, military spokesperson Daniel Hagari called it "the worst massacre of innocent civilians in Israel's history." However, local media reports pegged the casualties at 700, children among them. This includes the 250 who were shot dead by Hamas at the music festival.
Relatives stand by the bodies of the Abu Dagga family who were killed in an Israeli airstrike y during their funeral in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip | AP
Israeli rescue service Zaka says its paramedics removed about 260 bodies from a music festival attended by thousands. The total figure is expected to be higher as other paramedic teams were working in the area. Earlier footage had shown dozens of festival goers running through an open field as gunshots rang out. Many hid in nearby fruit orchards or were gunned down as they fled.
Meanwhile, speculations are rife over whether or not Israel would launch a ground assault into Gaza as it has declared war.
No word yet on the hostages
The government is mum on the hostage situation. Hundreds, including soldiers, were taken hostage by Hamas and militant group Islamic Jihad. During their rampage through southern Israel, the militants dragged back into Gaza dozens of captives, among them women, children and the elderly.
According to a senior Hamas official, the militant group is holding more than 100 people captive. Mousa Abu Marzouk made the remarks to the Arabic language news outlet al-Ghad on Sunday. This is besides the 30 people said to be held by the Islamic Jihad militant group.
Mayyan Zin, a divorced mother of two, told Reuters she learned that her two daughters had been abducted when a relative sent her photos from a Telegram group showing them sitting on mattresses in captivity. She then found online videos of a chilling scene in her ex-husband's home in the town of Nahal Oz: Gunmen who had broken in speaking to him, his leg bleeding, in the living room near the two terrified, weeping daughters, Dafna, 15, and Ella, 8. Another video showed the father being taken across the border into Gaza.
