Israel orders ‘complete Gaza siege’: Cuts off electricity, food, water or fuel

Israel escalated measures against the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip to a “total blockade” including a ban on admitting food and fuel, country’s defence minister Yoav Gallant said, calling this as part of a battle against “beastly people”.

This comes after Israel’s army declared that its forces were in “control of communities” in its southern territory near Gaza, two days after Hamas launched a surprise attack.

Israel and Egypt have imposed various levels of blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.

“We are in control of the communities,” military spokesman Daniel Hagari said. However, there still might be “terrorists” in the area, he said.

This comes after Israel said that it has brought in special forces to try to wrest control of four sites from Hamas after Tel Aviv formally declared war and gave the green light for “significant military steps” to retaliate. More than 1,100 people have been killed and thousands wounded on both sides. Fighting continued in several locations.

Israel’s chief military spokesman said troops had re-established control of communities that had been overrun while isolated clashes continued.

“We are now carrying out searches in all of the communities and clearing the area,” chief military spokesperson Rear-Admiral Daniel Hagari said.

Earlier, another spokesman, lieutenant colonet Richard Hecht, acknowledged that it was “taking more time than we expected to get things back into a defensive, security posture”.

Israel has responded with its heaviest ever bombardment of the Gaza Strip, killing some 500 people so far.

Meanwhile, Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua told The Associated Press that the group’s fighters continued to battle outside Gaza and had captured more Israelis. The group aims to free all Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, he said.