Israel-Hamas War: The violent conflict between Israel and Gaza has entered day three with both sides taking severe measures to outplay each other after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel early Saturday morning. More than 1,000 have died in the devastating war so far and over 2,000 were injured after Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu-led government formally declared war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu also asked the residents in and around Gaza to leave the region as Israeli Defence Forces launched "forceful" operations into Gaza.


Israeli Air Force pounded mass strikes on Gaza throughout Sunday night and early Monday morning. Meanwhile, Hamas held hundreds of people hostage including defence personnel and civilians to put pressure on Israel after Netanyahu vowed to turn militant areas into "rubble". Here are the top developments in the story so far:


Top Developments On Israel-Gaza War


Over 700 people have been killed in Israel, whereas more than 400 Palestinians have been killed, according to authorities, CNN reported. Nearly 2,300 others have been wounded in Gaza, with power cuts threatening "lives of hundreds of injuries and patients," said the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.


A United Nations statement on Sunday night said that Gaza's only power plant, currently the only source of power in the enclave, could run out of fuel in days after Israel cut all electricity supplies to Gaza on Sunday following an order from the prime minister's office, reported BBC. The report states that Gaza is heavily dependent on Israel for power. 


Israeli Air Force continued mass air strikes on Gaza in a bid to destroy Hamas capabilities after the terror group on Sunday claimed that their forces are still present and conducting operations in Mavki'im in southern Israel. Hamas also said it had launched "a major missile attack with 100 rockets" in the southern Israeli area close to the Gaza border. Meanwhile, loud explosions were heard across central Israel and the suburbs of the city late Sunday, according to CNN. Hamas claimed to have targeted Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel's international hub.


The dead in Israel include at least 260 people whose bodies were found at the site of an Israeli music festival, rescue teams said, as per CNN. Hamas gunmen reportedly shot at fleeing attendees and took many others hostage during the event near the Israel-Gaza border. A German-Israeli woman, who was attending the event, was taken captive and paraded as well. Her family got to know about her from a video of hers amid gun-toting Hamas militants.


Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group are holding more than 130 people from Israel in Gaza, including high-ranking army officers, a spokesperson for the militant group claimed Sunday, as per CNN and the Associated Press. The hostages include Israelis as well as people from other nationalities including Mexican and Brazilian nationals. 


In another big development, the United States is sending a Navy carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean Sea, which includes guided missile destroyers and guided missile cruisers, as per CNN. Officials said the US is also positioning more fighter jets in the Middle East as a deterrent to Hezbollah in Lebanon and other militant groups aligned against Israel.


Amid the ongoing war, the United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting on Sunday but took no action afterward. As per the CNN report, the Deputy US Ambassador to the UN said "not all" the member nations had condemned Hamas' attacks, but did not specify which. Notably, all 15 members need to vote unanimously for the UNSC to release a statement.


Israel accused Palestinian Islamist group Hamas of war crimes and vowed that it was time to "obliterate" the outfit's "terror infrastructure" at the UN Security Council meeting.


New York City protestors on Sunday witnessed a gathering in Times Square that backed the Hamas terrorists. Fox News mentioned that the rally by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), began at Times Square and moved to a street near the Israeli Consulate. The group blamed Israel, releasing a statement saying: "Today’s events are a direct result of Israel’s apartheid regime – a regime that receives billions in funding from the United States." 


Authorities meanwhile evacuated residents of hard-hit Gaza-area towns devastated by Hamas gunmen Sunday, the Times of Israel reported.


AP stated that 19 members of the same family were killed in the southern Gaza Strip in an Israeli strike.