No food, fuel, electricity as Israel declares ‘complete siege’ on Gaza

Israel ordered a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip on Monday, two days after a surprise invasion by the Palestinian militant group Hamas left hundreds dead.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that “no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel” will be allowed into Gaza. The enclave has already been under a 16-year blockade.

Israel is battling to drive Palestinian militants out of its southern towns near the border with Gaza and has declared war on the group. It has pounded Gaza with airstrikes for the third day.

“We are still fighting,” Lt. Col. Richard Hecht of the Israel Defense Forces said at a briefing on Monday morning. “We thought by this morning we’d be in a better place.”

The attack has shocked many given the failure of Israel’s powerful military and intelligence service to detect and stop it.

Israel’s chief military spokesman later declared that the army had regained control of the border communities but acknowledged that “there may still be terrorists in the area.”

Israel’s biggest ally, the United States, on Sunday said it was sending additional munitions to Israel and moving more Navy warships, including an aircraft carrier, and combat aircraft closer to Israel in a show of support.

By the numbers

• The attack by Hamas has seen more than 700 people killed in Israel. Israeli security officials said up to 109 people were believed to have been killed at a music festival early Saturday when militants swept into the concert site three miles from the Gaza border.
• Hamas said it is holding more than 100 Israelis hostage.
• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to destroy Hamas and 300,000 reservists were mobilized.
• United Nations and Gazan officials said a mosque, a marketplace, homes and multistory buildings have been hit. At least 493 Palestinians have been killed, according to authorities in Gaza, and at least 2,751 others have been injured.
• The United Nations humanitarian agency said that 123,538 Palestinians had been displaced in Gaza since the fighting began on Saturday.