CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- More than 1,500 people have now been killed since a militant group launched a surprise assault on Israel over the weekend.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Israel is now at war with the militant group Hamas.

Of the people who have been killed, at least 900 are reported to be Israeli and most of those were civilians, including more than 250 who were killed when militants reportedly opened fire on the crowd at a music festival.

CBS News reports there are also at least nine U.S. citizens who have been killed, per a spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council.

Thousands of people on both sides of the conflict have also been wounded.

Locally, student groups at the University of Virginia are reacting to the violence.

The Brody Jewish Center posted this statement on its Instagram page:

There is also this statement from Students for Justice in Palestine at UVA: