Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to avenge what he said was a "black day" for Israel Saturday, saying the army will strike back at Hamas in Gaza with full force.
"The IDF (army) is about to use all its force to destroy Hamas's capabilities," Netanyahu said in a brief televised statement.
"We'll strike them to the bitter end and avenge with force this black day they brought on Israel and its people," he said, after Hamas militants launched a surprise dawn attack, sending hundreds of militants into Israel under cover of a huge rocket barrage.
Netanyahu warned Palestinians living near Hamas sites in Gaza to leave as he vowed to turn its hideouts into "rubble" following its surprise attack.
"All the places in which Hamas is based, in this city of evil, all the places Hamas is hiding in, acting from -- we'll turn them into rubble," he said.
"I'm telling the people of Gaza: get out of there now, because we're about to act everywhere with all our force," he said in a brief televised statement.