Israel retakes Gaza border area as war's toll mounts

GAZA CITY: Israel said it recaptured Gaza border areas from Hamas on Tuesday , the fourth day of fierce fighting that has left thousands dead on both sides since the militants launched a surprise attack.

International NGOs issued a stark warning over the health and humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. But late Tuesday in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, troops backed by helicopters and drones exchanged fire with several militants, leaving three fighters dead, the army said."Around 1,500 bodies of Hamas have been found in Israel around the Gaza Strip," army spokesman Richard Hecht said earlier.

Hamas has held around 150 captives since its ground incursion, among them children, elderly and young people captured at a music festival where around 270 died.Fear and chaos reigned among the 2.3 million Palestinians living in the coastal territory that has been hammered by thousands of Israeli munitions.Hamas said the strikes killed two of its senior figures: Zakaria Muammar led its economics section, and Jawad Abu Shamala coordinated ties with other Palestinian factions.

Israel on Monday imposed a total siege on Gaza, which it has already blockaded for years, cutting off the water supply, food, electricity and other essential supplies. Israel has been left reeling by Hamas's unprecedented ground, air and sea assault that began with thousands of rockets, likening it to the 9/11 attacks on the US.In the aftermath, soldiers who were on guard duty along the hi-tech security barrier around Gaza recounted how the attack began with an effort to cripple observation cameras and communications.

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