Israel’s military on Tuesday said about 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants were found in Israeli territory after Saturday’s incursion, FRANCE 24 reports. Israeli warplanes pounded the Gaza Strip with relentless bombardments into the early morning of the fourth day of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli warplanes pounded downtown Gaza City, home to Hamas's centres of government, with relentless bombardments into early Tuesday, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation against the Islamic militant group that would “reverberate for generations”.
The Israeli military said it struck hundreds of Hamas targets in Gaza’s City Rimal densely populated neighborhood, an upscale district of Gaza City that's home to Hamas ministries, as well as universities, media organisations and the offices of aid organisations.
After hours of nonstop strikes overnight, some Rimal residents left their homes at daybreak to find some buildings torn in half by strikes, while others were reduced to mounds of concrete and rebar. Cars were flattened and trees burned out in moonscapes that had been residential streets.
The military’s heavy bombardment began over the weekend in areas of Gaza bordering Israel, and overnight shifted to the centre of Gaza City.
Israel has called up an unprecedented 300,000 reservists for its "Swords of Iron" campaign. "It’s the largest deployment in such a short time in Israeli history," said FRANCE 24.
Israel's army has "more or less restored control" over the Gaza border and has found more than 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants in Israel near the border, according to military spokesman Richard Hecht.
"Approximately 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants were found in Israel around the Gaza Strip," said Hecht, adding that security forces had "more or less restored control over the border" with Gaza.
Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has denied any Iranian involvement in Saturday's shock Hamas attack on Israel despite its strong support for the Palestinian militant group. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to visit Moscow, Russian news media quoted the Palestinian envoy to Moscow as saying late on Monday.
Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas he was working to prevent "an expansion" of conflict after the surprise Hamas attack on Israel, Saudi state media said early Tuesday.
The United States has no plan to become militarily involved in the conflict between Israel and Hamas after the Palestinian militant group's deadly attack, the White House said Monday.
"There's no intention to put US boots on the ground," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters, adding however that President Joe Biden "will always make sure that we are protecting and defending our national security interest".
