Sri Lanka on Sunday expressed its deep concern over the deadliest escalation of violence between Israel and Palestine after Hamas launched a massive rocket barrage and ground, air, and sea offensive against Israel.”Sri Lanka is deeply concerned about the attacks and escalation of violence and the resulting loss of life in Israel and Palestine,” read the statement of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sri Lanka.

The IDF released video of a hit on a city building with multiple stories.

The majority of the power grids is out since Saturday, and internet connectivity is still only partially functional.

Throughout the night, there was constant sound of thundering jets and explosions, adding that there was a strong smell of gunpowder.

Israeli warplanes continue to pound Gaza

Israel’s warplanes continued to bombard Gaza on Sunday morning, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari said, adding that 426 targets were struck in Gaza, including 10 towers used by Hamas. The defence forces of Israel also evacuated Israeli residents around the Gaza Strip overnight, as tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers are operating on the ground around the conflicted region, CNN reported quoting the IDF.

Hamas armed wing said on Sunday its fighters are still engaged in fierce clashes in several sites inside Israel. The statement by Qassam Brigades said fighting continues in several areas bordering Gaza strip including Ofakim, Sderot, Yad Mordechai, Kfar Azza, Be’eri, Yatid and Kissufim.

With its surprise attack against Israel, Hamas has violently shifted the world’s eyes back to the Palestinians and dealt a severe blow to momentum to secure a landmark US-brokered deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Gaza City: Aftermath of the attack

Israeli soldiers fought to repel Hamas militants Sunday and exchanged fire with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, raising the prospect of a broader regional conflagration a day after an unprecedented surprise attack on southern Israel by Palestinian militants that killed at least 250 and left Israelis stunned and reeling. The Hamas militants broke out of the blockaded Gaza Strip and rampaged through nearby Israeli communities, taking captives, including women, children and the elderly, while Israel’s retaliation strikes leveled buildings in Gaza and its prime minister said the country was at war.

Israel-Gaza conflict: Number of injured in Hamas assault rises to 1,864

The toll of injured has risen to 1,864 in Hamas terror attack, The Times of Israel reported citing the Health Ministry updates on the number of Israelis wounded and hospitalized.Currently, 326 of them have been gravely injured, 359 have moderate injuries, and 19 are in critical condition.Additionally, 20 people are being treated for severe stress and 821 people have minor injuries. 223 more persons are being watched over by medical personnel, The Times of Israel reported.

Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal condemns Hamas terror attacks in Israel

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka ‘Prachanda’ on Saturday condemned the unprecedented attack by Hamas terrorists on Israel while extending his sympathies to the injured Nepalese citizens there. At least 9 Nepalese citizens have been reportedly injured in the attacks while 17 were held captive by Hamas in Israel.

Projectiles launched from Lebanese territory hit an Israeli military position in the Israeli-occupied Shebaa farms early on Sunday, three security sources told Reuters.

26 Israel soldiers killed as fighting with Hamas militant group continues on Day 2

Israel’s military said Sunday at least 26 soldiers have been killed in an unprecedented attack by the Hamas militant group on the country’s south. The figure is part of a death toll over 250 people, the deadliest attack against Israelis in decades.

Emmanuel Macron said he “firmly condemns” the attacks. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Israel “has our full solidarity” and “the right, guaranteed by international law, to defend itself against terrorism”. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “shocked” by the attacks.33 mins ago

Germany and France on Saturday moved to reinforce security around Jewish temples, schools and monuments after the surprise attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas against Israel. Germany tightened police protection of Jewish and Israeli institutions, as some supporters of the Palestinians took to the streets of Berlin to celebrate the attack.

Hamas attack on Israel thrusts Biden into Mideast crisis and has him fending off GOP criticism

The deadly Hamas militant attack on Israel and the massive retaliation it provoked from Jerusalem have thrust President Joe Biden into a Middle East crisis that risks expanding into a broader conflict and has left him fending off criticism from GOP presidential rivals that his administration’s policies led to this moment.

The Israeli army said it fired artillery on southern Lebanon on Sunday in response to a shot from the area. “Israeli artillery is in the process of striking the area of Lebanon from which a shot was fired,” said a statement, which was issued shortly before 7:30 am (0430 GMT) and did not give any further details about the attack.

Rocket sirens continue

Sirens to warn of incoming rocket attacks continued to sound in parts of southern Israel in the early hours of Sunday, the Times of Israel reported. Israeli forces rescued at least 48 people who were held hostage in a dining hall in Kibbutz Be’eri, the paper said.

Army says situation not yet under control (Bloomberg)

Israel is “at war,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, after militants from the Gaza Strip fired over 3,000 missiles and infiltrated southern parts of the country early Saturday. The surprise attack — not yet under control as of early Sunday — killed at least 200 Israelis, while at least 230 Palestinians died in fighting and reprisal strikes by the Israeli military.

Israel strikes Hamas in Gaza Strip, over 300 killed as conflict escalates

Israel-Palestine Crisis: Toll crosses 500

Israel’s toll of Saturday’s attacks by Hamas crossed 300 while at least 232 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip in response.

China called on the international community to “enhance its sense of urgency, increase its participation on the (resolution of the) Palestinian issue, promote the early resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel and seek a way for lasting peace.”

“China will continue to make unremitting efforts with the international community to this end,” it said.

China says ‘deeply concerned’ over ‘escalation’ of violence between Israel, Palestinians

“China is deeply concerned about the current escalation of tension and violence between Palestine and Israel,” Beijing’s foreign ministry said, adding it “calls on all parties concerned to remain calm and exercise restraint, cease fire immediately, protect civilians and prevent further deterioration of the situation”.

As many as 1,590 people were wounded, many seriously. Several civilians as well as IDF soldiers are believed to have been abducted and brought to Gaza,

Israel PM Netanyahu vows to turn Hamas hideouts into ‘rubble’, tells Gaza residents ‘to leave those places now’

As the toll from the Hamas rocket fire and ground assault soared past 300, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday vowed to turn all known hideouts of the militant outfit into ‘rubble’. He warned all Gaza residents to leave, adding that the country would immediately use all its strength to destroy Hamas’s capabilities. Netanyahu said the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) are going community by community, house by house, and are ‘restoring control by clearing the terrorists out of the last communities.’

‘They will be safe …’: Israeli diplomat advises Indians in Israel to take these steps

US State Secretary Antony Blinken on Saturday (US local time) discussed Hamas’ attack on Israel with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, the UK Foreign Secretary and Qatari Prime Minister.

Nigeria calls for de-escalation of hostilities between Israel, Hamas

The Nigerian government has said it is concerned about the hostilities between Israel and Hamas and has called for de-escalation and ceasefire.”The cycle of violence and retaliation that the current escalation has assumed only serves to perpetuate an unending cycle of pain and suffering for the civilian population, that bears the brunt of every conflict,” read a release issued by Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It also came as Jews in the United States were gearing up to celebrate the holiday of Simchat Torah, which marks the beginning of a new annual cycle of the reading of the scrolls and is celebrated in Israel a day earlier.

At synagogues around the globe, the attacks brought a somber tone.

Jewish diaspora mourns attack on Israel, but carries on by celebrating holidays

The Jewish diaspora awoke to horror Saturday in what was supposed to be among the most festive times on the Jewish holiday calendar. The attacks by the militant group Hamas came after the end of Sukkot, a weeklong celebration to commemorate the harvest season and the time Jews lived in the desert after being freed from slavery in Egypt.

Visuals from Tel Aviv: Hamas unleashes unprecedented assault on Israel

Netanyahu said the “first phase” of the counter operation had ended, and that Israel had fought off the majority of Hamas militants.

Israel will stop supplying electricity, fuel and goods to Gaza, according to a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office Saturday night.

The situation is potentially more volatile now, with Israel’s far-right government stung by the security breach and with Palestinians in despair over a never-ending occupation in the West Bank and suffocating blockade of Gaza.

Federal Aviation Administration urges US airlines, and pilots to use caution when flying in Israeli airspace

As Israel reeled from a deadly attack by Hamas militants who broke through barriers around Gaza and roamed at will, killing scores of civilians in Israeli towns, defence chiefs faced growing questions over how the disaster could have happened. A day after the 50th anniversary of the start of the 1973 Yom Kippur war, when Israeli forces were caught off guard by Syrian and Egyptian tank columns, the military appeared once again to have been surprised by a sudden attack.

Israel vows ‘mighty vengeance’ after surprise attack by Hamas kills hundreds

Gunmen from the Palestinian group Hamas rampaged through Israeli towns on Saturday, killing at least 250 Israelis and escaping with dozens of hostages in by far the deadliest day of violence in Israel since the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago.

US says ‘too early’ to tell if Iran directly involved in Hamas attack on Israel

A senior White House official said Saturday it was “too early to say” whether Israel’s arch foe Iran was “directly involved” in the large-scale attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas. However, there was “no doubt Hamas is funded, equipped and armed by Iran and others,” he added, as the conflict between the two sides escalated to its bloodiest point in decades.

US-Israel discussions on miliary aid ‘very much underway’: White House official

Security cabinet approved decisions to destroy military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and Islamic jihad

Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu

With its surprise attack against Israel, Hamas has violently shifted the world’s eyes back to the Palestinians and dealt a severe blow to momentum to secure a landmark US-brokered deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The United States is working with other governments to make sure the crisis does not spread and is contained to Gaza following a deadly Hamas attack in Israel, a senior Biden administration official said on Saturday.

Israeli military spokesman says situation in Israel still not fully under control after Hamas surprise attack

There is still fighting in southern Israel, still Hamas terrorists inside Israel: Army spokesman

US-Israel discussions on miliary aid ‘very much underway’: White House official

Without warning on Saturday, Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers attacked Israel by air, land and sea. Millions of Israelis in the country’s south awoke to the searing sound of incoming rockets and the inevitable thud of impact. Air raid sirens wailed as far north as Tel Aviv. Israel’s anti-rocket interceptors thundered in Jerusalem.

Number of Israelis taken prisoner ‘several times greater’ than dozens: Hamas spokesperson

The total number of Israelis captured by Hamas in a surprise attack on Israeli towns on Saturday was “several times greater” than dozens, a spokesperson for the armed wing of Hamas said in a recording aired shortly after midnight on Sunday. The spokesman said those taken captive were spread throughout all areas of the Gaza strip.

The Saudis have been in talks with the White House over potentially forging diplomatic relations with Israel. Those efforts have been thrown into question by the unprecedented incursion into Israel launched by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday.

Over 200 killed in Israel by Hamas ‘massacring civilians’: Army