Tel Aviv, 8 October 2023 (dpa/MIA) - At least 500 people have been killed in Israel in the major surprise attack launched by Palestinian militant group Hamas from the Gaza Strip, medical sources said on Sunday, with another 2,048 wounded according to Israel's Health Ministry.

Several of the injured were in critical condition, it said.

Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, launched a surpise offensive from the coastal area on Saturday, firing more than 3,000 rockets into Israel.

Hamas fighters also advanced across the border by land, air and sea.

Several Israelis were forcibly taken to Gaza, where they are being held hostage by Hamas, according to the Israeli military.

A military spokesman spokes of a "significant number" without providing further details.

Israel's security cabinet on Sunday declared a state of war following the Hamas offensive, allowing for "far-reaching military steps," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced.