He added: “I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed.”

Israeli soldier Lt. Col. Richard Hecht has described the events in the region as “our 9/11”.

Hecht said: “In a way, this is our 9/11, and you know even more than that, it wasn’t crashing into a building, it’s also mutilating, attacking a party that was happening around the Gaza Strip.”

Journalist Jake Wallis Simons added: “Hamas are not ‘fighters’ or ‘militants’. In fact, looking at videos of their crimes, the term ‘terrorists’ doesn’t even cover it today. They are savages, animals, butchers. Depraved, sordid and beneath contempt. Wake up world!”

Eden Ankri, an Israeli American living in the US, told 6ABC Action News: “You remember 9/11, a terrorist attack that people would forever remember.

“That’s how I feel about what happened yesterday. We’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve seen people and women my age being kidnapped and raped and people being decapitated.”

One of the Americans killed in Israel in the Hamas attacks is Hersh Golberg-Polin, 23, who sent heartbreaking and disturbing texts to his parents just before his phone lost signal in the attack at a rave.

In response to the attacks, the US has deployed the world’s biggest warship near Israel.

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Hamas attackers were able to get into Israel by paragliding above the country’s border protection, as seen in footage shared online.

Other videos have shown Hamas militants parading naked bodies of their victims on the streets.

One woman who was subjected to this has been identified as German tattoo artist Shani Louk.

Miss Louk’s family confirmed they had seen the video but said they “still have some kind of hope” that their daughter is alive.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas on Sunday.

In response to the attacks, Israel has hit back with air strikes on the Gaza strip, hitting more than 800 targets over the weekend.

Israeli forces are still fighting against Hamas inside the country.

The Israeli military has said “seven to eight” places in the country are still seeing gun battles.

Military spokesperson Richard Hecht said it was taking longer than expected to repel the incursion due to the multiple breaches at the border.