At least 198 people lost their lives, and another 1,610 wounded in Palestinian enclave of Gaza as Israeli forces retaliated following a deadly multi-pronged attack by Hamas forces into Israeli territory on Saturday.

This alarming surge in casualties on Saturday came in the wake of an audacious and large-scale attack launched by the Palestinian group governing the Gaza Strip. This marked the most substantial offensive against Israel in years, as Hamas fighters infiltrated southern Israeli areas. The attack followed a barrage of thousands of rockets fired from within the besieged Gaza territory.

At least 40 Israelis were fatally shot as Hamas resistance fighters executed an unprecedented multi-front assault on Israel at daybreak. The attack involved the launching of thousands of rockets, with dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrating the heavily fortified Israeli border through air, land, and sea routes. The attack caught the country off-guard on a major holiday.

In response to the attack, Israel’s military conducted air raids on Gaza later on Saturday.

The Israeli military released a statement, saying, “Dozens of [Israeli military] fighter jets are currently striking a number of targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation in the Gaza Strip.”

Meanwhile, Mohammed Deif, a senior Hamas military commander, announced earlier that the rocket fire marked the commencement of “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.” He called on Palestinians worldwide to join the fight against the Israeli occupation.

“We’ve decided to say enough is enough,” Deif declared, urging all Palestinians to stand up to Israel. In an audio message, he proclaimed, “This is the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on Earth.”

Israel said the group had declared war as its army confirmed fighting with Hamas fighters in several Israeli towns and military bases near Gaza and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate.

“Our enemy will pay a price the type of which it has never known,” he said. “We are in a war and we will win it.”

At least 40 Israelis were killed in the attack so far with more than 250 wounded, Israel’s ambulance service said, but added that the toll was expected to rise.

The Israeli military said it had launched air strikes into Gaza, where witnesses reported hearing heavy explosions, with at least two dead.

Israeli media reported gunbattles between bands of Palestinian fighters and security forces in towns in southern Israel. Israel’s police chief said there were “21 active scenes” in southern Israel, indicating the extent of the attack.

Saturday’s incident marked an unprecedented infiltration by Hamas fighters into Israel from Gaza, and was the most serious escalation since Israel and Hamas fought a 10-day war in 2021.

Israeli media reported gunbattles between bands of Palestinian fighters and Israeli security forces in towns in southern Israel. In Gaza, people rushed to buy supplies in anticipation of days of conflict ahead.

Hamas military commander Mohammad Deif announced the start of the operation in a broadcast on Hamas media, calling on Palestinians everywhere to fight.

“This is the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on earth,” he said, adding that 5,000 rockets had been launched.

The Lebanese group Hezbollah said the operation was a “decisive response to Israel’s continued occupation and a message to those seeking normalisation with Israel”.

An adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei congratulated Palestinian fighters for the attack.

The Israeli military said its forces were operating inside Gaza but gave no details.

Israeli Defence Minister Gallant said Hamas had “launched a war against the State of Israel”. Israeli “troops are fighting against the enemy at every location”, he said.

“A number of terrorists have infiltrated into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip,” the Israeli military said in a statement, adding that residents in the area surrounding the Gaza Strip had been told to stay in their homes.

Israeli media claimed that gunmen had opened fire on passers-by in the town of Sderot, in southern Israel, and footage circulating on social media appeared to show clashes in city streets as well as gunmen in jeeps roaming the countryside.

Read Four children among 12 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes

“We were told there are terrorists inside the kibbutz, we can hear gunfire,” a young woman named Dvir, from Beeri Kibbutz, told Israeli Army Radio from her bomb shelter.

Reports of Israelis taken captive

Hamas media displayed videos of what it said were bodies of Israeli soldiers brought into Gaza by fighters, and Palestinian gunmen inside Israeli homes and touring an Israeli town in jeeps reportedly been driven into Israel by the attackers.

Palestinian media also reported that a number of Israelis had been taken captive by fighters and Hamas media circulated video footage apparently showing a destroyed Israeli tank.

The Israeli military was aware of reports of captives, a security source said, but provided no further details. In a briefing with reporters, an Israeli military spokesman declined to comment.

Netanyahu’s office said he would meet top security officials in the coming hours and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant authorised the call-up of reservists.

In Gaza the roar of rocket launches could be heard and residents reported armed clashes along the separation fence with Israel, near the southern town of Khan Younis, and said they had seen significant movement of armed fighters.

Israel’s ambulance service said teams had been dispatched to areas in southern Israel near Gaza and residents were warned to stay inside.

A group representing military reservists who had planned to refuse to attend training over their objections to the government’s plans to overhaul the judiciary called on reservists to report for duty.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group said its fighters were joining Hamas in the attack.

“We are part of this battle, our fighters are side-by-side with their brothers in the Qassam Brigades until victory is achieved,” said Islamic Jihad armed wing spokesman Abu Hamza on a post on Telegram.

Palestinians in Gaza expressed disbelief at the infiltration into Israel. “It is like a dream. I still can’t believe it, fighters inside our occupied land?” said one Gaza shopkeeper.

The escalation comes against a backdrop of surging violence between Israel and Palestinian fighters in the West Bank, which together with the Gaza Strip is part of the territories – currently occupied by Israel – where Palestinians have long sought to establish a state.

It also comes at a time of political upheaval in Israel, which has been riven by deep divisions over moves to overhaul the judiciary, and as Washington works to strike a deal that would normalise ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The attack came a day after Israel marked the 50th anniversary of the 1973 war that brought the country to the verge of catastrophic defeat in a surprise attack by Syria and Egypt.

This will be updated…