Israel has imposed a “complete” siege on Gaza, cutting off water, fuel and electricity supplies.
The United Nations has warned of “devastating consequences” after Israeli military allegedly asked over a million Gazans to relocate towards the south within 24 hours, adding to speculation that Israel may soon begin a deadly ground assault in Gaza.
Here are 10 updates on the Israel-Hamas war:
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Top US diplomat Antony Blinken visited Tel Aviv yesterday and assured his country’s support to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He said he was shown horrifying photos of “baby riddled with bullets” and “soldiers beheaded”. The US has confirmed the death of at least 22 Americans in Israel.
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At least 1,200 have died in Israel and another 1,400 in Gaza strip since the war began Saturday. Besides, the bodies of 1,500 Hamas operatives were found in the Israeli territory, the government has claimed. Nearly 150 others who were dragged across from the Israeli side are also being held hostage by Hamas.
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Israel has imposed a “complete” siege on Gaza, cutting off water, fuel and electricity supplies. The Palestinian territory’s sole power plant shut down on Wednesday after running out of fuel. Israel has vowed that it won’t allow humanitarian aid into Gaza until Hamas releases the hostages.
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The United Nations said today it had been told by the Israeli military that some 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza should relocate to the enclave’s south within the next 24 hours.
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“The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
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A US media report also said that Israel has asked the UN to leave North Gaza too.
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Hamas launched a fierce rocket attack and hundreds of its operatives went on a rampage in Israeli border towns on Saturday, slaughtering civilians and kidnapping them to Gaza. This triggered Israeli airstrikes on Hamas hideouts in Gaza strip, reducing neighbourhoods into rubble.
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Israel targeted Syria’s two main airports (in Damascus and Aleppo) yesterday, grounding flights and putting the airports out of service. It has also exchanged artillery fire with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, in a contested region.
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Saturday’s Hamas assault unfolded on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah and came exactly 50 years and a day after the outbreak of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. Among the worst assaults was the massacre of about 270 people at a music festival near the Gaza strip. Hundreds of young Israelis and foreigners were forced to flee as the terror unfolded in the early hours.
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Israel and Palestinian groups have fought several wars since Hamas took power in Gaza in 2007. The latest violence erupted a day after Hamas said that the “people had to draw a line to end the occupation” and added that Israel continued to commit crimes across Palestinian land, and especially on the holy site of Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem.
