Israeli forces were continuing on Monday, October 9, to hunt down hundreds of Palestinian militants who had infiltrated Israel following an unprecedented Hamas offensive against the Jewish state. The surprise attack, launched at dawn on Saturday, left hundreds dead on both sides. Many Israelis, both civilian and military, were kidnapped by Hamas fighters.
Following Saturday's incursions at a number of different places on the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, some groups of Hamas fighters withdrew to Gaza, while others continued fighting on Israeli territory. At the same time, the Israeli authorities asked the inhabitants of several towns to evacuate their homes and threatened Gaza with reprisals.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.