The threat came after Israel on Monday imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip, cutting off food, water and electricity supplies, and sparking fears of an increasingly dire humanitarian situation.
JERUSALEM - Palestinian militant group Hamas, which dragged off about 150 people in its surprise weekend assault on Israel, threatened to execute the hostages if Israeli air strikes continue "targeting" Gaza residents without warning.
"Hamas terrorists bound, burned and executed children. They are savages. Hamas is ISIS," Netanyahu said. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply distressed" by the siege announcement, and warned Gaza's already dire humanitarian situation will now "only deteriorate exponentially".
Israel has long prided itself on a high-tech military and intelligence edge in its many conflicts. But it has been shaken to the core by the Hamas strike, and now faces the threat of a multi-front war. It was the second day of an exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah, which on Sunday said its strikes were "in solidarity" with the Hamas attacks.
"They butchered people in cold blood in an inconceivable way," said Moti Bukjin of the Zaka religious volunteer group which helped collect the human remains. Israel has blockaded Gaza since Hamas assumed control there in 2007, leading to four previous wars with Israel.
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