Over 1,200 Israelis killed in Hamas attack, new figures show

By Nathan Morley

There seems no sign of this brutal conflict calming, and the death toll in Israel from the Hamas attacks keeps climbing.

As of Wednesday, it reached 1,200 - with more than 2,700 people injured, most of them civilians.

The Palestinian authorities say more than 1,000 people have been killed by Israeli air strikes on the Gaza strip.

Seige of Gaza

On Wednesday afternoon, the main electricity supply went out in Gaza after its sole power station ran out of fuel.

Since Hamas's brutal attack at the weekend, Israel has forced a siege of Gaza, cutting its supplies of electricity, fuel, food, goods and water. And, as the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, the public are fearful of what the coming days may bring. 

The UN estimate 260,000 people have fled their homes in Gaza. For its part, Israel says it aims to destroy Hamas’s military capabilities. Lt Col Jonathan Conricus said Israel’s mission was to ensure Hamas wouldn’t ‘have any military capabilities by which they can threaten or kill Israeli civilians’.

International involvement

Meanwhile, in the north, Israel has attacked Lebanese territory in response to an attack from Hezbollah.

Earlier, US President Joe Biden said Israel had a right and a duty to respond to Hamas' attacks which he described as an "act of sheer evil". He said the United States would stand with Israel and provide whatever assistance it needed.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an lethal attack on Israel on 7 October, with gunmen entering communities near the Gaza Strip, killing hundreds of people, and taking dozens of civilians - including women and children – as hostages.