Israel and the world are in shock after Hamas invaded Israeli communities, slaughtered hundreds of defenseless civilians and abducted around 150 people to the Gaza Strip. The attackers have now been driven out of Israel and the army is continuing its attacks on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, preparations are underway for a ground offensive. “Gaza will never be what it used to be,” said Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The events after the escalation in the Middle East in the stern news blog: