JERUSALEM: The Zionist entity, reeling from the deadliest attack on its territory in half a century, formally declared war on Hamas Sunday as the conflict’s death toll surged to 1,000 after the Palestinian group launched a massive surprise assault from Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu steeled the shocked nation for a “long and difficult” war ahead after Hamas launched a barrage of rockets at the Zionist entity before dawn on Saturday and sent in fighters who took at least 100 hostages.

The bloody escalation sharply heightened Middle East tensions and killed more than 600 people on the Zionist side, the country’s worst losses since the 1973 Arab-Zionist war when it came under attack from a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria. In Gaza — which was hammered by Zionist air strikes on 800 targets ahead of what many feared may be a looming ground invasion — officials reported at least 370 deaths, with thousands more wounded across the war zone. Tens of thousands of Zionist forces were deployed to battle holdout Hamas fighters in the south, where the bodies of civilians had been found strewn on roads and in town centers.

Gun battles raged as the Zionist army sought to secure desert regions near the coastal enclave, rescue Zionist hostages and evacuate all areas near Gaza, a day after hundreds of Hamas fighters launched their shock offensive and surged into the Zionist entity using vehicles, boats and even motorized paragliders. There was widespread shock and dismay in the Zionist entity after at least 100 citizens were captured by Hamas and abducted into Gaza, with images circulating on social media of bloodied hostages, and distraught relatives pleading for the state to rescue them.

The Zionist entity also came under attack from the north when Lebanon’s Hezbollah launched guided missiles and artillery shells Sunday “in solidarity” with the unprecedented Hamas offensive, without causing any casualties. The Zionist entity responded with artillery strikes across the UN-patrolled border. “The Islamic resistance... attacked three positions of the Zionist enemy in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa farms... with large numbers of artillery shells and guided missiles,” the movement said in a statement.

Witnesses living on the Lebanese side of the border said a dozen rockets were fired towards the Zionist entity in the morning. Lebanon’s National News Agency said later two more rockets were fired from the Lebanese side towards enemy positions in the Shebaa farms, prompting the Zionist entity to retaliate with fresh artillery fire. The Zionist entity was stunned when Hamas launched their multi-pronged offensive on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, raining down at least 3,000 rockets as fighters infiltrated towns and kibbutz communities and stormed an outdoor rave party. Panicked Zionist residents phoned media outlets as they hid in their homes from militants going door to door.

Two Thai nationals were among those killed, and other Asian nationals, many of whom work as farm laborers in the region, were believed to be among the hostages. Global concern has mounted, with Western capitals condemning the attack by Hamas. The Zionist entity’s foes have praised the assault, including Iran whose President Ebrahim Raisi voiced support when he spoke with Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders. Anti-Zionist protests have flared in Iraq, Pakistan and some other majority Muslim countries, while Germany and France were among nations stepping up security around Jewish temples and schools.

In the Egyptian city of Alexandria a police officer opened fire “at random” on Zionist tourists Sunday, killing two of them and their Egyptian guide before he was arrested. The policeman fired “at random” at a Zionist tour group using “his personal weapon”, the state-affiliated private television Extra News said quoting a security source. A fourth person was wounded and the policeman was “immediately arrested”, it added. The Zionist foreign ministry confirmed the deaths in a statement. US President Joe Biden has voiced “rock solid and unwavering” support for the Zionist entity and warned “against any other party hostile to (the Zionist entity) seeking advantage in this situation”.

US Secretary of state Antony Blinken told CNN “we have reports that several Americans were killed” and others missing and “we’re working to verify those reports”. Hamas has labelled its attack “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” and called on “resistance fighters in the West Bank” and “Arab and Islamic nations” to join the battle. Its attack came half a century after the outbreak of the 1973 conflict called the Yom Kippur war in the Zionist entity, sparking bitter recriminations on what was widely seen as an enormous intelligence failure.

“There was a very bad failure here,” said Sderot resident Yaakov Shoshani, 70. “The Yom Kippur War was small compared to it, and I was a soldier in the Yom Kippur War.” He recalled the terror of the attack on their town near Gaza. “I held a kitchen knife and a large screwdriver, and I told my wife that, if something happens, to make sure to read the Kaddish (prayer) over me, if you stay alive,” he said. “And so we stayed close to each other at home, shut everything and turned off the lights.”

Hamas chief Ismail Haniya has predicted “victory” and vowed to press ahead with “the battle to liberate our land and our prisoners languishing in occupation prisons”. Hamas said Saturday it had fired 5,000 rockets, while the Zionist entity reported some 3,000 incoming projectiles. Zionist attacks have reduced several Gaza residential towers to rubble, and another strike completely destroyed a mosque in Gaza’s Khan Yunis. Many Gaza residents voiced defiance. “We will not give up, and we are here to stay,” said Mohammed Saq Allah, 23. “This is our land, and we will not abandon our land.” – Agencies