Israeli army official also said that army has evacuated 15 out of 24 towns on the border.
Tel Aviv:
In a record mobilisation of troops, Israel mobilised 3,00,000 troops in the last 48 hours, as Israeli retaliation against the deadly Hamas attack entered its third day on Monday.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari informed about the mobilisation and said the IDF “has never mobilized so many reservists so quickly — 300,000 reservists in 48 hours.”
This is the largest mobilization since the 1973 Yom Kippur War when Israel called up 400,000 reservists, Times of Israel reported.
Hagari said that the army has evacuated 15 out of 24 towns on the border, and will continue to evacuate the others over the course of Monday, but that the town of Sderot will not be evacuated at this stage.
He also added that around 4,400 rockets have been launched toward Israel since the fighting started on Saturday morning.
Hagari said that in the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council three terrorists were killed by troops; in Be’eri one was killed; in Holit and Sufa five were killed; and in Alumim four were killed, Times of Israel reported.
“It is possible there are still terrorists in the area,” Hagari said, but said that there was no ongoing fighting in any of the towns.
Some of the terrorists have been in Israel since the preliminary attack on Saturday, while others crossed the border over the past two days. Hagari said that breaches of the Gaza border barrier will be physically secured by tanks supported by combat helicopters and drones.
In another development, the Israeli military has also deployed troops against a suspected infiltration from Lebanon.
“A report was received regarding the infiltration of a number of suspects into Israeli territory from Lebanese territory. IDF soldiers are deployed in the area,” Reuters quoted the Israeli military as saying.
The IDF Homefront Command has also instructed Israeli civilians in towns near the Lebanese border to remain in their homes, IDF posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Meanwhile, the IDF continued to carry out airstrikes, with the military saying it was hitting targets belonging to the Hamas terror group.
A large wave of strikes was carried out overnight as part of its effort to “devastate the capabilities of the Hamas terror group,” two days after the terror group unleashed carnage on an unprecedented scale in Israel, killing at least 700 civilians and security personnel in the deadliest single day in the nation’s history, Times of Israel reported.
In a major escalation on October 7, Hamas launched a “surprise attack” on Israel, firing a barrage of rockets into the southern and central parts of the country
According to the latest updates, over 800 people have been killed and over 2400 are injured, with many in severe condition.
In a major development on Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he has ordered a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip. He made the statement after an assessment at the IDF Southern Command in Beersheba.
“I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed,” Gallant said.
“We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly,” he added.
According to Israeli local media cited by The Times of Israel, more than 700 Israelis have died since Saturday’s attack. According to Israeli government, over 2000 people have been injured in the attack.
The Government Press Office, a body that operates under the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, said that the number of hostages in Gaza was more than 100.
The Israel Defense Forces’ top spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that Israeli troops have regained control of all towns on the Gaza border. He said that the incidents of clashes between troops and terrorists in the past few hours have been “isolated,” The Times of Israel reported.
Hagari said that three terrorists were killed by troops in the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council. According to him, one was killed in Be’eri, five were killed in Holit and Sufa and four were killed in Alumim. Hagari said that currently, there is no fighting in any of the towns.
Hagari said, “It is possible there are still terrorists in the area.” He said breaches of the Gaza border barrier will be physically secured by tanks, which will be supported by combat helicopters and drones, The Times of Israel reported.
According to him, the Israeli army has evacuated 15 out of 24 towns on the border and will continue to evacuate the others in the coming day. He said Sderot will not be evacuated at this stage. He said some 4,400 rockets have been launched toward Israel since the fighting started on Saturday morning.
The IDF said that it is carrying out a fresh wave of airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. The IDF said it is hitting targets that belong to Hamas terror group. According to the military, further details will be provided soon, according to The Times of Israel report.
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