THE GUARDIAN: Israel warns Gaza residents to ‘get out now’ and says it will stop supplying electricity, fuel and goods, vowing unprecedented retaliation
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said the country is embarking on a “long and difficult war” after a surprise attack by Palestinian militants from the blockaded Gaza Strip led to hundreds of deaths, the seizure of dozens of Israeli hostages, and sparked fears of a regional escalation.
According to some media reports, as many as 100 Israeli citizens, including women and children, may have been abducted.
On Sunday morning, as Israelis struggled to comprehend the scale of Saturday’s attack, the possibility of a ground invasion into Gaza and wider conflagration with Hezbollah in Lebanon loomed large. Israel announced it had ordered the evacuation of communities bordering Gaza.
Despite the announcement of war by Netanyahu and a call-up of thousands of reservists, Israel’s war aims remained unclear on Sunday, including whether it would seek to remove Hamas from power in Gaza and how long any operation might last. » | Bethan McKernan in Jerusalem, and Peter Beaumont | Sunday, October 8, 2023
