Hamas has claimed its militants have taken hostages during their attack on Israel.

The militant group has posted footage on its Telegram account showing its fighters pulling Israeli soldiers out of a tank.

Sky News has also geolocated footage from the Erez checkpoint by the Gaza border, in which hostages are seen being beaten, as well as a video from the village of Be’eri, where handcuffed men and women in civilian clothing are seen being led away by armed men.

Another video has appeared online purporting to show a captured Israeli woman with her hands tied together being forced into a vehicle in Gaza by men shouting “Allahu Akbar”.

On Saturday, an Israeli military spokesperson confirmed Israeli civilians and soldiers were being held hostage by Hamas militants in Gaza.

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Read more: Hamas fighters on ground in Israel after ‘5,000’ rockets fired – Israel-Gaza latest

According to news channel N12, up to 50 Israelis have been taken hostage by Hamas gunmen in Beeri Kibbutz near the Gaza border.

Israeli broadcaster Reshet 13 TV News also reported militants were holding Israelis hostage in the town of Ofakim – an Israeli city near the border with Gaza.

Saleh al-Arouri, a senior leader of Hamas, claimed the group had enough captives to make Israel free all of its Palestinian prisoners.

It comes after 70 Israelis were killed and hundreds more were injured in an attack by Hamas militants on Saturday.

At least 198 Palestinians have been killed and 1,610 injured in retaliation air strikes by Israeli forces, according to Palestinian officials.

The scale of injuries, combined with the number of fatalities so far, makes the attack the deadliest in Israeli territory in years.

Israel’s defence minister said Hamas had “launched a war” and its troops were “fighting against the enemy at every location”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement: “We are at war and we will win.”

Mr Netanyahu added: “Our enemy will pay a price the type of which it has never known.”

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Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinian people have the right to defend themselves against the “terror of settlers and occupation of troops”.

A military spokesperson for Israel said Hamas fired 2,500 rockets in Saturday’s attack, while the group’s military commander Mohammad Deif said 5,000 rockets had been launched.

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Phone footage showed Hamas fighters attempting to reach Israel on small boats, and in a highly unusual development, a number of fighters appeared to have crossed the border using paragliders, reaching the town of Sderot where gun battles were heard.

Footage from security cameras showed them entering the city in pick-up trucks and motorbikes.

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Air raid sirens sounded across southern and central Israel, and there were explosions in the cities of Tel Aviv, Ashkelon, Yavne and Kfar Aviv.

A rescue agency said a 70-year-old woman had been critically injured when a rocket hit a building in southern Israel.

The IDF warned “the Hamas terror group will pay a very heavy price” saying it was launching a “large-scale operation” called “Swords of Iron” in response to the combined rocket and infantry attack.

Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant said Hamas had “made a grave mistake this morning and launched a war against the State of Israel”.

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He added: “IDF troops are fighting against the enemy at every location. I call on all of Israel’s citizens to follow security instructions. The State of Israel will win this war.”

A military spokesperson for Israel said Hamas fired 2,500 rockets in Saturday’s attack, while the group’s military commander Mohammad Deif said 5,000 rockets had been launched.

“This is the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on earth,” Mr Deif said on Hamas radio.

He said the attack was the beginning of “Operation Al Aqsa Storm” and was in response to Israeli violence in the West Bank, Gaza, and around Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem.

“Today the people are regaining their revolution,” he said in the recorded message.

“We must set the earth on fire under the feet of the occupiers,” the militant added.

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