Three days into a major ground onslaught in the Palestinian territory, which has attracted further international pleas for civilians to be protected, Israeli troops and tanks struck Gaza’s key northern metropolis from both sides on Monday.
As the conflict enters its fourth week, Palestinian residents are in severe need of fuel, food, and clean water, and Israel’s military has claimed to have targeted more than 600 fighter targets over the past three days as it has escalated ground operations in the Gaza Strip.
The gunmen claimed they were battling on the border with Israel after having resisted an Israeli tank attack on Gaza City from the east.
The Islamic Jihad, fighting with Hamas, issued a statement saying, “Our duty today is fight and fight,” adding that this was not the time for a truce.
The Israeli military claimed responsibility for the deaths of four high-ranking Hamas members.
“IDF troops killed dozens of terrorists who barricaded themselves in buildings and tunnels, and attempted to attack the troops,” the statement stated.
The date and location are written as October 30, 2023 in Gaza, as an Israeli soldier stands behind a military truck with his weapon drawn.
The date and location are written as October 30, 2023 in Gaza, as an Israeli soldier stands behind a military truck with his weapon drawn.
Neither side addressed the news coming from the other.
Late on Friday, Israel launched a major offensive into Gaza to hunt down Hamas fighters it says are hidden in a network of tunnels beneath Gaza City. It urged residents of the northern part of the tiny coastal enclave to evacuate to the southern part.
Many residents have remained in the city out of concern for their safety from Israeli airstrikes and to avoid a repeat of the history of homelessness in their family.
Some locals reported hearing the rumble of tanks rolling in amidst intense gunfire as Israeli soldiers allegedly launched dozens of airstrikes on the city’s eastern side on Monday. One tank was reportedly spotted on the main Salahudeen route that leads south out of the city in a social media post.
Later, residents and the Hamas-run government’s media office said the tanks had moved back towards the constructed barrier around Gaza. Islamic Jihad’s military wing claimed its members were engaging Israeli forces there and that they had been driven back by heavy mortar fire.
Residents have reported multiple air and sea attacks on the beachfront road to the west.
On October 29 in what is presumably Gaza, armoured bulldozers from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) can be seen clearing the way.
On October 29 in what is presumably Gaza, armoured bulldozers from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) can be seen clearing the way.
The reports could not be confirmed immediately by Reuters.
Three major hospitals in Gaza City were reportedly targeted by airstrikes on Monday, according to Palestinian health sources. According to the UN humanitarian organization OCHA, 117,000 civilians have taken refuge in northern hospitals.
Israel claims Hamas has hidden command centers and weapons near medical facilities; the group has denied this.
Palestinian media said that Hamas members clashed with Israeli soldiers east of Khan Younis, and residents of Rafah, a town in Gaza’s south, heard air strikes near the crossing with Egypt.
Phone and internet disruptions which blacked out Gaza on Friday were eased and OCHA stated on Monday services were “largely restored”, while telecoms companies indicated portions of the north still down.
Conflict on the West Bank
According to reports out of Israel, Hamas-led fighters surged across the south of the country on October 7 and killed 1,400 people while taking 229 hostages. To yet, Hamas has only freed four prisoners while claiming 50 lives were lost due to retaliatory strikes.
On Monday, medical officials in Hamas-controlled Gaza, home to 2.3 million people, said that 8,306 individuals, including 3,457 children, had been killed.
According to OCHA, rescuers’ efforts to reach victims were hampered.
“As of 29 October, about 1,800 people, including at least 940 children, have been reported missing and may be trapped or dead under the rubble, awaiting rescue or recovery,” according to the study.
The United Nations agency also stated that armed groups continued to fire rockets at Israel without targeting any specific locations.
On October 30, 2023, smoke could be seen rising above Gaza from the Israeli border with Gaza in southern Israel.
On October 30, 2023, smoke could be seen rising above Gaza from the Israeli border with Gaza in southern Israel.
The Israeli defence ministry provided video footage of what it said were operations inside Gaza showing soldiers in buildings, tanks on a vital route, and air strikes on what it said were facilities occupied by Hamas.
Neither the timing nor the location of the footage could be independently confirmed by Reuters, and the Israeli military refused to comment on the matter.
We’re starting on the ground and working our way up to aerial attacks on terrorist strongholds. Terrorists and ground forces are also involved in open combat. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, a military spokesman, confirmed that the fighting is happening within the Gaza Strip.
Israeli-occupied Jenin in the West Bank has been the site of reports of fighting between Hamas and Islamic Jihad. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, four persons were murdered there on Monday, while according to Israeli reports, several fighters were killed in an air attack.
Israel claimed to have detained 700 West Bank Hamas members. Since October 7th, 121 Palestinians and Israelis have been killed, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Women, the elderly, and children are among the 1,680 people, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Association.
Unrest at a Russian airport
Large protests in support of the Palestinians have taken place in several countries, and incidents of antisemitic and Islamophobic harassment and violence have spiked as a result of the war.
After hundreds of anti-Israel protestors stormed the airport in the largely Muslim district of Dagestan in search of the Jewish passengers aboard a plane from Israel, Russian authorities stated they had taken control of the airport and arrested 60 people.
Twenty people, according to officials, were injured before the turmoil at the airport was brought under control on Sunday by security authorities. Security forces told Reuters that everyone on board the plane was unharmed.
Israel’s ground offensive against Gaza has intensified, prompting requests for a “humanitarian pause” to enable humanitarian aid into the territory.
A source briefed on Qatari-mediated negotiations between Israel and Hamas told Reuters that in exchange for the release of all civilian hostages held by the group, Hamas wants a five-day respite in Israeli operations to let aid and fuel into Gaza.
With many more needed to address critical demands and prevent social unrest, OCHA said on Sunday that 33 trucks bringing water, food, and medical supplies had entered Gaza. On Sunday, people rushed food distribution centers.
