Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced Monday the imposition of a “complete siege” on the Gaza Strip, on the third day of the offensive launched against Israel from this Palestinian territory by the Islamist movement Hamas.
“We are imposing a complete siege on Gaza,” Mr. Gallant said in a video released by his services. “No electricity, no water, no gas, everything is closed,” he added in this message in Hebrew.
“We fight animals and we act accordingly,” Mr. Gallant added.
More than 700 people have been killed in southern Israel since Hamas launched a military offensive from the Gaza Strip on Saturday.
On the first day, up to 250 people were massacred in Israel at a rave party near the border with the coastal Palestinian territory, a volunteer who helped collect the bodies said Monday.
In the Gaza Strip, strikes by the Israeli army have left at least 493 dead since Saturday, according to the latest report from local authorities.
Some 2.3 million Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip, a territory under Israeli blockade since 2007 and plagued by poverty.