Rubble & Smoke: Gaza Grapples With Devastation As Israel Hits Back After Hamas Attack: IN PICS

While Hamas has previously abducted Israelis, this operation marks the first time they have taken dozens of hostages simultaneously, including children and the elderly.

Gaza grapples with devastation as buildings lie demolished and rubble blankets the city.

Israel has officially declared war on the Palestinian militant group Hamas in response to a highly coordinated and unprecedented assault that involved air, sea, and land strikes, which took place on Saturday.

The large-scale surprise attack has had a devastating toll, with more than 1,200 reported dead in Israel, as stated by public broadcaster Kan. In retaliation, Israel launched lethal airstrikes on Gaza, resulting in a death toll of at least 900 people.

As Hamas militants retreated into Gaza, they claimed to have taken at least 100 hostages and issued threats to kill them if Gaza continued to be targeted by airstrikes without warning. Israel has vowed that Hamas will face severe consequences and may be preparing for a ground incursion into Gaza.

On Saturday morning, militants from Gaza fired thousands of rockets towards Israeli towns and breached the heavily fortified border fence with Israel, infiltrating Israeli territory with armed militants. Inside Israeli territory, Hamas gunmen caused extensive casualties, including civilians and soldiers, while taking hostages, even from their residences.

Regaining control took Israeli forces over two days, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announcing on Monday that they had successfully regained control of all Israeli communities located in the vicinity of Gaza's southern border after concluding the conflict with Hamas.

The recent attacks are unparalleled in terms of tactics and scale, as Israel has not experienced such street battles on its own territory since the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.