Israeli forces clash with Hamas after hundreds killed

Israeli forces clashed with Hamas on Sunday, 24 hours after they launched a surprise attack on Israel in which about 500 people were killed in the deadliest day of violence in Israel for 50 years.

Hamas began their attack at dawn on Saturday with a huge barrage of rockets into southern Israel, giving cover to a multi-pronged infiltration of fighters into Israel from Gaza, a narrow strip that is home to 2.3 million Palestinians.

On Sunday, the conflict spread, with the Israeli military reporting that mortar bombs were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel. Israeli forces responded with artillery strikes into Lebanon.

Hamas fighters killed at least 250 Israelis in clashes throughout Saturday and into Sunday and escaped back into Gaza with dozens of hostages. More than 250 Gazans were killed when Israel responded with one of its most devastating days of retaliatory strikes.

Meanwhile, the UAE in a statement, called for exercising the utmost restraint and an immediate ceasefire in order to avoid serious repercussions.

The Ministry expressed that the UAE, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, urged the international community to immediately reactivate the international Quartet to revive the path process of Arab-Israeli peace. 

The statement urged an increase in all efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace and prevent the region from experiencing further violence, tension, and instability.