Mr. Netanyahu warned local leaders in southern Israel to prepare for a long fight, his office said.
“I know you have been through tough and terrible things. What Hamas will go through will be tough and terrible,” he told them, according to his office. “We are already in the midst of a battle that has only just begun.”
The United Nations humanitarian agency said Israeli strikes had displaced 123,000 Gazans, and damaged water, sanitation and hygiene facilitates affecting more than 400,000 people. The only power plant providing electricity to Gaza could run out of fuel in a few days, aid agencies have said.
Islamic Jihad’s military wing, the Al Quds Brigades, has claimed responsibility for a cross-border attack from Lebanon into Israel. The group said several Israeli soldiers were wounded in the assault, which the Israeli military has not verified.
In the north, Israel’s Home Front Command instructed the residents of 28 towns and villages near the border with Lebanon to go to bomb shelters and other protected spaces. The residents were told to take food, water, mattresses, and blankets, signaling that they may need to stay there for a while.
The Lebanese Army said Israeli planes and artillery struck near the towns of Dhayra and Aita al Shaab close to the border with Israel earlier on Monday. The military instructed Lebanese civilians “not to go to areas adjacent to the border for the sake of their safety.”
Isabel Kershner reported from Jerusalem, Aaron Boxerman from London and Hiba Yazbek from Nazareth, Israel. Reporting was contributed by Raja Abdulrahim, Ameera Harouda, Edward Wong, Farnaz Fassihi, Cassandra Vinograd, Ronen Bergman, Sui-Lee Wee and Tiffany May.
