Bodies of 1.5K Hamas Militants Found in Israel

Israel's military also says Gaza's parliament, civilian ministries are legitimate targets
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 10, 2023 3:00 AM CDT
Updated Oct 10, 2023 4:07 AM CDT
1.5K Bodies of Hamas Militants Found in Israel
The mother of Israeli Col. Roi Levy cries during her son's funeral at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on Monday, Oct. 9, 2023.   (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

Around 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants have been found in Israeli territory, the Israeli military said Tuesday after announcing it had largely gained control in the south and "restored full control" over the border on the fourth day of fighting following an unprecedented surprise attack. Spokesperson Richard Hecht said no Hamas fighters have crossed into Israel since Monday night, although infiltrations could still be possible. Israel has previously reported 900 soldiers and civilians killed, and Palestinian authorities have reported about 700 deaths in Gaza and the West Bank, the AP reports. The Israeli government promised Monday to hunt down Hamas fighters and to punish the Gaza Strip following a surprise weekend attack that killed more than 900 people in Israel, including at least 260 at a crowded music festival that became one of the country's worst civilian massacres.

Hecht said the military struck hundreds of Hamas targets overnight in Gaza's City Rimal neighborhood, which is home to many of Hamas' ministries and government buildings, the AP reports. He said residents were being notified over social media before the strikes to evacuate, but did not elaborate further. He suggested that Palestinians should try to leave through the Rafah crossing, though he did not specify where they would go or how they would use the crossing that is periodically closed. Hecht also said that because Israel's air force is stretched thin, there might not be the same "level of fidelity" in warning targets before strikes. Asked if Israel considered Hamas' civil government, such as parliament and ministries, legitimate targets, Hecht said "if there's a gunman firing rockets from there, it turns into a military target."

(More Israel-Hamas war stories.)

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