UPDATE - At least 313 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks so far: Gaza Health Ministry

UPDATE WITH MORE DETAILS, NEW FIGURES, CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK

By Zeynep Hilal Karyagdi Duran, Zehra Nur Duz, Abdel Raouf Arnaout and Halime Afra Aksoy

GAZA CITY, JERUSALEM / Palestine, ANKARA (AA) – The Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip in response to a Hamas offensive killed at least 313 Palestinians, the territory's Health Ministry said on Sunday.

In a written statement, the ministry said 1,990 Palestinians were also wounded in the ongoing conflict.

Meanwhile, a total of 1,864 Israelis have been injured so far in the ongoing military escalation with Palestinian groups in Gaza, including some 345 people being in critical condition, the Israeli Health Ministry said in a statement.

At least 350 Israelis were killed, Israeli Channel 12 reported on Sunday.

The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday published the names of 26 soldiers killed during fighting with the Palestinian side on the border with the Gaza Strip over the past day, saying: "Their families have been notified."

The dead include Col. Jonathan Steinberg, 42, the commander of the Nahal Brigade from Shomria, Lt. Col. Sahar Machluf, 36, the commander of the 481st Signal Battalion from Modiin, and Maj. Chen Buchris, 26, the deputy commander of Maglan from Ashdod, the Times of Israel newspaper reported.

In a written statement, the Israeli army announced that Israelis living in Jewish settlements on the Gaza Strip border are being evacuated and the army has regained control of most areas.

“We managed to regain control of most of the areas under attack. Clashes are underway in the Be'eri settlement,” the army said.

Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on Saturday and said the surprise attack was in response to the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence. It said it fired rockets and captured many Israelis.

In turn, the Israeli army initiated Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “We are at war." He urged civilians in Gaza to leave as the Israeli military is going to turn "all Hamas hiding places into rubble."