More than 100 bodies have been recovered from a small farming community that was the scene of a hostage standoff during Hamas’s attack against Israel, accoding to the rescue service Zaka.
The mass casualties uncovered at the Beeri kibbutz - which had a population of 1,000 - are among 900 people killed in the lightening, multi-pronged attack launched by Hamas from the Gaza Strip at the weekend.
Forces have re-established control of communities near the Gaza Strip that had been overrun by Hamas gunmen, the military said on Monday, as the death toll continues to climb.
The military wing of the militant Hamas group said it would kill one Israeli civilian captive any time Israel targets civilians in their homes in Gaza “without prior warning”.
The threat came as the death toll in from retaliatory Israeli strikes in Gaza climbed above 500.
Israel’s defence minister earlier ordered a “complete siege” on the Gaza Strip, saying authorities will block the supply of food, electricity and fuel.
Speaking to officials on Monday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said that “what Hamas will experience will be difficult and terrible”.
He added: “This is only the beginning... we are all with you and we will defeat them with force, enormous force”.
