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At least 198 people were killed in Gaza on Saturday, the health ministry in the Palestinian enclave said, after Hamas militants fired a barrage of rockets into Israel which responded with air strikes, reports Gulf News.
At the same time, 123 Israelis were killed and more than 1,000 injured in the Hamas offensive that began earlier on Saturday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel 'is at war' with Palestinian militant group Hamas after barrages of rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel.
According to media reports, for the first time in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle, Palestinian militants launched a massive air, sea and land attack on Israel.
"We are at war, not in an operation or in rounds, but at war," the Israeli leader said in a statement, adding Hamas had launched a "murderous surprise attack" on Israel and its people.
According to Israeli media, at least 123 Israelis have been killed in the attacks by Hamas so far. Reports also confirmed that more than 1,000 Israelis injured in the attacks.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said that 198 people have been killed and 1,610 wounded in the retaliatory Israeli strikes in the Gaza strip.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
