Israeli defense minister orders ‘complete siege’ on Gaza Strip

Israel’s defense minister on Monday ordered a “complete siege” on the Gaza Strip as retaliatory action ramps up against the Palestinian militants who launched a deadly surprise attack over the weekend.

The militant group Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on Israel on Saturday, leading Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to formally declare war Sunday. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant then vowed to halt the supply of food, electricity and water to Gaza, saying in a video message posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the nation is at war with “human animals.”

Hamas fighters have also taken hostages, including women and children, in its multipronged attack against Israel. The Israeli army called up about 300,000 reservists — a signal that more fighting lays ahead against Hamas, which is largely rooted in Gaza.

Israel has already hit more than 1,000 targets in Gaza as the death toll on both sides continues to grow. About 700 people have been killed so far in Israel, and nearly 500 have been killed in Gaza, which is home to about 2.3 million Palestinians.

U.S. and Israeli officials confirmed that about 1,000 Palestinian militants led the incursion into Israel on Saturday, In a Sunday update, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Jonathan Conricus said Israel is still “hunting down the last terrorists that are still inside Israeli territory.

President Biden reiterated the U.S.’s full support of Israel over the weekend, telling Netanyahu the U.S. is prepared to offer “all appropriate means of support” to Israel. The White House said Sunday that Biden informed Netanyahu that “additional assistance” was on its way to the IDF and should arrive in the coming days.

The Associated Press contributed.