Over 600 Israelis and approximately 370 Gaza residents were killed in a surprise and widespread strike conducted on Saturday by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. In response to the assault, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to level Hamas' lairs in Gaza.

Intense airstrikes on the coastal enclave caused the number of Palestinian deaths in Gaza to rise to a minimum of 232. Hundreds of Hamas fighters and Israeli forces engaged in bloody fire engagements throughout the night in at least 22 different places throughout Israel. The Israeli army informed them that there were at least two locations where gunmen were holding hostages. The army said, "Terrorists rampaged and forcibly entered homes, resulting in the loss of civilian lives." Gunshots or the more than 3,000 incoming missiles injured more than 1,000 people in Israel.

Key Points

• Over 600 Israelis and approximately 370 Gaza residents were killed in a surprise and widespread strike conducted on Saturday by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

• The army said, "Terrorists rampaged and forcibly entered homes, resulting in the loss of civilian lives." Gunshots or the more than 3,000 incoming missiles injured more than 1,000 people in Israel.