Israel regains control over towns surrounding Gaza amid escalation

Shafaq News/ On Monday, the Israeli army declared that it had regained control over population centers surrounding the entire Gaza Strip, following infiltrations by militants affiliated with Hamas into towns around the strip since Saturday morning.

An Israeli army spokesman, quoted by Reuters, mentioned that some militants "are still within Israeli territory," leading to sporadic clashes.

The escalation began after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel at dawn on Saturday, firing thousands of rockets from the Gaza Strip, with hundreds of its militants infiltrating Israeli territory.

Since the start of the surprise attack, the Israeli army announced that more than 700 people had been killed, with the majority being civilians, including 73 soldiers.

In response, Israel conducted airstrikes against Hamas positions in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of 493 individuals, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Before announcing control over the towns, an Israeli army spokesperson stated that the fighting with Hamas militants in the country's southern towns was "taking longer" than initially anticipated.