Israel orders complete siege on Gaza and compares Hamas festival attack to 9/11

Israel is imposing a “complete siege” on Gaza, the country’s defence ministry declared this morning, in response to the shock attack launched by Hamas gunmen on Saturday, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is describing as “Israel’s “9/11”.

At least 700 Israelis, including 44 soldiers, have been killed, with at least a further 2,3000 wounded, according to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). In Gaza, which has been pummelled by Israeli airstrikes since Saturday, at least 413 Palestinians have been killed and at least 2,300 people wounded since Saturday, according the Palestinian health ministry.

More than 260 bodies have been recovered from a music festival in Southern Israel, close to Gaza, after Hamas gunmen stormed the site and opened fire on festival-goers on Saturday. Footage shows individuals running for their lives across open fields as gunshots fire in the background.

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