Gaza City - -At least 198 people were killed in Gaza on Saturday, the health ministry in the Palestinian enclave said, after Hamas fired a barrage of rockets into the occupied territories which responded with air strikes.
The ministry said up until there were "198 martyrs and 1,610 wounded with different injuries" in the conflict.
Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years on Saturday, killing at least 40 people and wounding hundreds in a surprise assault that combined gunmen crossing the occupied territories with a barrage of rockets fired from Gaza.
Israel said the group had declared war as its army confirmed fighting with Hamas in several 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."
Israel's ambulance service said at least 40 Israelis were killed and hundreds wounded in the Hamas attack but the total appeared likely to rise.
A Reuters photographer saw multiple bodies lying in the streets of the southern town of Sderot.
The Israeli military said it had responded with air strikes into Gaza, where witnesses reported hearing heavy explosions and multiple dead and wounded being carried into hospitals.
At least 198 people were killed in Gaza on Saturday, the health ministry in the Palestinian enclave said, after Hamas fired a barrage of rockets into Israel which responded with air strikes.
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The attack marked an unprecedented infiltration by an unknown number of Hamas gunmen into Israel from Gaza and one of the most serious escalations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in years.
Israeli media reported a gunbattle between bands of Palestinian fighters and security forces.
Israel's police chief said there were "21 active scenes" in southern Israel, indicating the extent of the attack.
In Gaza, people rushed to buy supplies in anticipation of days of conflict ahead. Some evacuated their homes and headed for shelters.
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 last major flare-up between Israel and Hamas was a 10-day war in 2021.
Speaking to Israel N12 News by phone from a Nir Oz, a kibbutz near Gaza, a woman identified as Dorin said militants had infiltrated her house and tried to open the bomb shelter where she was hiding.
"They just came in again, please send help," she said. "There are a lot of homes harmed ... My husband is holding the door closed ... They are firing rounds of bullets."
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.
The Israeli military said its forces were operating inside Gaza but gave no details.
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