Israel said it recaptured Gaza border areas from Hamas on Tuesday, the fourth day of fierce fighting that has left thousands dead on both sides since the militants launched a surprise attack.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Israel's military campaign following Saturday's onslaught is only the start of a sustained war to destroy Hamas and "change the Middle East".
Hamas gunmen killed more than 100 people in the kibbutz of Beeri alone, said Moti Bukjin, a volunteer with the charity Zaka that recovers bodies in accordance with Jewish law. The Israeli army has called up 300,000 reservists and massed tanks and other heavy armour both near Gaza and on the northern border with Lebanon, where exchanges of fire continued.
The US has sent an aircraft carrier and other warships to the eastern Mediterranean as part of efforts to deter an expansion of the conflict, and is also providing other assistance, including sharing intelligence with Israel. On Monday, Hamas warned it would start killing hostages every time Israel launches a strike on a civilian target in Gaza without warning. French President Emmanuel Macron called the threat "unacceptable blackmail."
"Israeli people they are scared of the Arabs and the Arabs are scared of the Jews... everybody is scared of each other," said Ahmed Karkash, a shop owner in the Old City.Mazen Mohammad and his family slept on the ground floor of their apartment block, huddling together as explosions rang out around them."We felt like we were in a ghost town, as if we were the only survivors," Mohammad, 38, told AFP.
Medical supplies, including oxygen, were running low at Gaza's overwhelmed Al-Shifa hospital, said Mohammed Ghonim, a doctor in the emergency room.The United Nations said more than 187,500 people had been displaced inside Gaza, most taking shelter in UN schools.
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