Israel pounds Gaza as war threatens to spiral

Israel battered Palestinians in Gaza on Sunday after suffering its bloodiest day in decades when Hamas fighters rampaged through Israeli towns, with hundreds killed on both sides. The spiraling violence threatens a major new Middle East war. People search through the remains of a mosque in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Israeli jets battered Gaza on Sunday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed "mighty vengeance" for the bloodiest attack in decades by Hamas. In a sign the conflict could spread beyond Gaza, Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah exchanged artillery and rocket fire. In Alexandria, two Israeli tourists were shot dead along with their Egyptian guide. Israeli air strikes also pounded housing blocks, tunnels and homes of Hamas officials in Gaza. Many hundreds of people have been killed on both sides. This resident was at evening prayers and says the mosque was struck without warning. On Saturday, Hamas fighters rampaged through Israeli towns, killing hundreds of people. In southern Israel, gunmen were still fighting Israeli security forces in several places 24 hours later. More rockets were fired from Gaza. A spokesperson from the armed wing said they abducted a number of Israelis, quote, "several times greater" than dozens. This amateur video geolocated to the Gaza strip shows an injured woman with her arms tied being bundled into the back seat of a 4x4. Reuters couldn't confirm when it was filmed. So many abductions add another layer of complication for Netanyahu - in previous episodes hostages were exchanged for many prisoners. Israel was caught completely off guard by Hamas's assault, in what some see as one of the worst intelligence failures in its history. Israel's military released this video showing what it said was the targeting of Palestinians along the border fence. It said it had regained control of most infiltration points, killed hundreds of attackers and taken dozens more prisoner. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a speech the assault would spread from Gaza to the West Bank and Jerusalem. Read more at https://nypost.com/2023/10/07/israeli-attacked-by-hamas-live-updates/ #israel #hamas #palestine #gaza The New York Post is your source for breaking news, news about New York, sports, business, entertainment, opinion, real estate, culture, fashion, and more. Subscribe to New York Post Sports: https://www.youtube.com/c/nypostsports Catch the latest news here: https://nypost.com/ Follow The New York Post on: Twitter - https://twitter.com/nypost Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NYPost