Israel Targets Gaza, Lebanon Amid Ground Strikes On Day 2

Over 700 killed on Israeli side, at least 300 deaths in Gaza as fears of wider conflict persist in already volatile region

Israel, reeling from the deadliest attack on its territory in half a century, formally declared war on Hamas as the violence entered the second day on Sunday, with the death toll from the conflict surging to 700 in Israel, and over 300 in Gaza, after the Palestinian militant group launched a massive surprise assault.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu steeled the shocked and grieving nation for a "long and difficult" war ahead after Hamas launched a barrage of rockets at Israel before dawn on Saturday and sent in fighters who gunned down civilians and took at least 100 hostages.

Israeli air strikes hit housing blocks, tunnels, a mosque and homes of Hamas officials in Gaza, killing more than 300 people, including 20 children, as Netanyahu vowed "mighty vengeance for this wicked day".

But, he warned, "This war will take time. It will be difficult."

The spiralling violence threatened a major new West Asian war, as Israel and Lebanon's powerful armed group Hezbollah exchanged artillery and rocket fire on Sunday.

In southern Israel, Hamas gunmen were still fighting Israeli security forces 24 hours after the surprise, multi-pronged assault of rocket barrages and gunmen who attacked army bases and towns, killing hundreds and abducting dozens more.

Civilians paid a staggering cost for the violence on both sides.

Israeli TV news aired a stream of accounts from relatives of captive or missing Israelis, who wailed and begged for assistance amid a fog of uncertainty surrounding the fate of their loved ones.