Explosions rock Gaza as Israel launches night strikes

Explosions lit up the sky over Gaza City late Monday (October 9) and in the early hours of Tuesday (October 10), after Israel launched night strikes.

The Israeli military said on Monday (October 9) it had called up an unprecedented 300,000 reservists and was imposing a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, in a sign it may be planning a ground assault in response to the devastating weekend attack by Hamas gunmen.

After hours of intense bombardment by Israeli jets, Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls Gaza, said it would execute an Israeli captive for every Israeli bombing of a civilian house without warning.

Inside Israel, Palestinian fighters were still holed up in several locations, two days after they killed hundreds of Israelis and seized dozens of hostages in a raid that shattered Israel's reputation of invincibility.

Israeli TV channels said the death toll from the Hamas attack had climbed to 900, with at least 2,600 injured.

Gaza's Health Ministry said at least 687 Palestinians had been killed and 3,726 wounded in Israeli air strikes on the blockaded enclave since Saturday (October 7).