Israel said Wednesday its military struck 200 targets in the Gaza Strip overnight, as Israeli troops massed near the Gaza border ahead of a potential ground offensive.
The death toll on the Israeli side from a Hamas attack that began Saturday rose to 1,200 people, mostly civilians, with another 2,700 wounded.
Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said the higher count was due to more bodies being found, not because of ongoing fighting within Israel.
Israel has sealed the border breaches made by Hamas fighters and is closely guarding the area, Conricus said in a video message.
He also defended Israeli airstrikes that have destroyed residential buildings, saying those sites are legitimate military targets because Hamas intentionally locates its operations in civilian buildings.
The United Nations says more than 263,000 people have fled their homes in the Gaza Strip since the fighting began, and that the number is expected to rise.
Palestinian authorities said at least 900 people have been killed and 4,600 injured in Gaza.
Conricus said 360,000 Israeli reservists were preparing to carry out the mission of making sure “Hamas at the end of this war won’t have any military capabilities by which they can threaten or kill Israeli civilians.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters that a small group of U.S. special forces is working with the Israeli military to assist with planning and intelligence in the Israeli counteroperation against Hamas.
“We also have the ability to rapidly deploy other resources into the region,” Austin said.
The U.S. also sent a carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean, which Conricus said Wednesday brought a message of deterrence to ensure the conflict with Hamas does not expand into a regional war.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is traveling Wednesday to Israel to bring a “message of solidarity and support,” the State Department said.
