JERUSALEM/GAZA: On Monday, Israeli aircraft bombed hundreds of targets in Gaza while ground troops battled Hamas militants in incursions into the embattled Palestinian enclave, where civilian casualties have skyrocketed and life under blockade has reached new lows.
Israeli troops and tanks have massed near to the narrow, heavily populated region of Gaza in preparation for a possible ground invasion, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Over the course of 24 hours, the Israeli military claimed to have hit over 320 targets in Gaza, including a tunnel sheltering Hamas troops, dozens of command and lookout posts, and mortar and anti-tank missile launcher positions.
European officials were ready to join the United states and Arab states in calling for a “humanitarian pause” in hostilities so aid could reach the territory’s 2.3 million residents who were running low on basic necessities.
The war has spread beyond the Gaza Strip.
As a new humanitarian convoy arrives in Gaza, Israeli bombings have murdered dozens of people there.
Hezbollah, like Hamas, is an organisation that is affiliated with Israel’s long-time enemy Iran, hence Israeli aircraft also struck locations controlled by Hezbollah in south Lebanon.
In the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military and Palestinians also engaged in violent conflict. More rockets were launched from Hamas at Israel.
The United Nations has reported that many people in the Hamas-ruled enclave of Gaza are in severe need of food, water, medicine, and safe places to shelter from the relentless bombing.
Through one crossing, Gaza was receiving some aid, but it was a drop in the bucket compared to what was needed.
The Palestinian health ministry estimates that 2,055 children are among the 5,087 Palestinians killed in the past two weeks due to airstrikes.
Hamas fighters launched a cross-border attack on Israeli communities on October 7, killing 1,400 and kidnapping over 200 in the worst incident in a single day since the founding of the state of Israel 75 years ago. This sparked Israeli airstrikes.
Conflict within Gaza itself
With the whereabouts of the captives unknown, Israel claimed that the nightly incursions were partially designed to gather intelligence and had helped boost its military readiness.
These operations are designed to eliminate terrorist units that are amassing resources for the next phase of the battle. Military spokesman Daniel Hagari described the searches as “deep.”
The Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, the military branch of Hamas, said that its members fought an infiltrating Israeli force in southern Gaza, destroying two bulldozers and a tank before driving the raiders back.
Israel has said nothing publicly about the incident.
Ashkelon and Mavki’im, two Israeli cities in the south, were reportedly hit by rockets fired by the Al-Qassam Brigades. On the Israeli side, warning sirens began to sound.
Warning to Gazans: Leave or be labelled terrorists
The most powerful force in the Middle East, Israel, is up against a group that has amassed a big arsenal with Iran’s support and is deploying a vast tunnel network to battle in a dense urban environment.
Over half of Gaza’s population, or 1.4 million people, have been displaced within the territory, according to the UN humanitarian office (OCHA), with many taking refuge in UN emergency shelters that are already at capacity.
The northern part of Gaza has been ordered to be evacuated by Israel. Due to the increased bombings in the south and the scarcity of shelter, however, it looked that many of those who had fled were making their way back north.
They advised us to leave your location immediately and relocate to Khan Younis where we would be secure. Eight members of Dima Al-Lamdani’s family, including her parents and seven siblings, and four members of her uncle’s family were killed in an air attack after the family had relocated to the south. Dima was 18 at the time.
Inciting further violence
Israeli military officials stated that early on Monday, Israeli aeroplanes attacked two Hezbollah cells in Lebanon that were preparing to fire missiles and rockets towards Israel. Israeli forces also struck an observation post and a Hezbollah compound.
Since it began keeping track on October 8th, the International Organisation for Migration, a UN organisation, reported that 19,646 persons have been displaced within Lebanon.
According to the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry, two Palestinians were killed at the Jalazone refugee camp near Ramallah in Israeli-occupied territory.
According to Reuters’ interviews with residents, Israeli police stormed the camp, clashed with gunmen and several youth who threw stones, and made numerous arrests. According to the Israeli military, 15 people were arrested, ten of whom were members of Hamas.
Suspects fired live ammunition against Israeli security personnel after they were attacked with explosive devices and stone blocks thrown from rooftops. Hits were found, the statement concluded.
Third relief convoy enters Egypt’s Rafah gate with supplies for Gaza.
On Monday, 34 more vehicles joined the first convoy that had brought relief across the Rafah crossing from Egypt the day before.
The United Nations reported that the amount of help delivered daily before to the conflict was only 4% of what it is now.
According to draught conclusions seen by Reuters, European Union leaders gathering later this week in Brussels would push for a truce to allow supplies to move safely. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who visited Rafah only last week, made a similar appeal, and they stated they supported it. The Arab world is also on board with the idea of a ceasefire.
According to EU sources, the language may undergo more revisions before the summit. Some nations are hesitant to advocate for a truce for fear of appearing to restrict Israel’s right to self-defense.
