Israel intensifies strikes on Gaza as death toll nears 1,200

Israel’s military scoured the country’s south for Hamas fighters, guarded breaches in its border fence and pounded the Gaza Strip from the air on Monday as it vowed to lay total siege to the impoverished, Hamas-ruled territory in the wake of an unprecedented weekend incursion.

At least 700 people reportedly have been killed in Israel, a staggering toll on a scale the country has not experienced in decades, with nearly 500 killed in Gaza and about 2,000 people wounded on each side.

The initial assault included an attack on civilians at a crowded music festival where authorities removed about 260 bodies and Hamas claimed to have taken more than 130 Israeli captives.

While the Israeli military said fighting had slowed by Monday, the official declaration of war against Hamas on Sunday portends expanded fighting including a possible ground assault into Gaza, a move that in the past has brought heavy casualties.

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Israel carried out major military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon during the past four decades without formal declarations of war. The presence of hostages in Gaza complicates the response by Israel, which has a history of making lopsided prisoner exchanges to bring home captive citizens.

More than two days after Hamas launched its surprise attack from Gaza, the military said the fighting had largely died down for now. Israel’s vaunted military and intelligence apparatus was caught completely off guard, bringing heavy battles to its streets for the first time in decades.

Israel formally declared war on Sunday, portending greater fighting ahead, and a possible ground assault into Gaza — a move that in the past has brought intensified casualties. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy “the military and governing capabilities” of the militant group, which is deeply rooted in Gaza.

As Israel hit more than 1,000 targets in Gaza and its tanks and drones guarded openings in the border fence to prevent more infiltrations, Palestinian militants continued firing barrages of rockets, setting off air raid sirens in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.