Death toll exceeds 1,100 in Israel and Gaza, report

Israeli soldiers fought Hamas militants in the streets of several southern cities on Sunday while repelling a rocket attack from Hezbollah terrorists in the north as America’s closest ally in the Middle East formally declared it was at war for the first time in a half century.

Israel's security cabinet officially declared war Saturday night, the first such declaration since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

Israeli troops were still trying to free dozens of hostages, taken by the Hamas militants during a surprise attack that began Saturday morning during a Jewish holiday celebration.

The scope and devastation of that attack, which included thousands of rockets, became more clear on Sunday as Western experts said they believed that Iran was behind the new violence. Many on both sides were civilians.

The death toll has surpassed 1,100 in Israel and Gaza, according to reports. 

“We will go through every community until we kill every terrorist that is in Israeli territory,” Israeli Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters. “Every terrorist located in a house, all the commanders in houses, will be hit by Israeli fire. That will continue escalating in the coming hours.”

In the United States, Republicans blamed the Biden administration for recently releasing $6 billion to Iran ahead of the new attacks in Israel. But President Joe Biden made clear he firmly stands with Israel during the conflict.

“The people of Israel are under attack, orchestrated by a terrorist organization, Hamas," Biden said Saturday. "I want to say to them and to the world, and to terrorists everywhere, that the United States stands with Israel."

Meanwhile nerves were rattled Sunday in northern Israel where Hezbollah claimed responsibility for firing rockets into a disputed area known as Mount Dov. Israel responded by bombing some of Hezbollah’s locations, and then the violence there subsided, officials said.

In the South, Hamas signaled it was digging in for a long war with Israel.

“We are prepared for all options, including all-out war," top Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri told Al-Jazeera TV. "We are ready to do whatever is necessary for the dignity and freedom of our people."