Tuesday 10 October 2023

Israel Launches Intensive Bombardment of Gaza Following Hamas Hostage Threats




In the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, Israel has intensified its bombardment of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip after the militant group Hamas threatened to execute hostages it abducted during a weekend assault. The situation has prompted Israel to impose a total siege on Gaza, cutting off essential supplies and exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis in the region.

Hamas' unprecedented ground, air, and sea assault, which Israel has compared to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, has left Israel reeling. The death toll in Israel has risen to over 900, prompting Israel to respond with a barrage of strikes on Gaza, resulting in a death toll of 687.

The Israeli army announced on Tuesday that it had regained control of the Gaza border after a mass breach by Palestinian gunmen on Saturday. They reported recovering the bodies of approximately 1,500 Hamas militants inside Israel, confirming the scale of the assault. Israeli communities around the border have been evacuated nearly completely.

Gaza City has been subjected to intense bombardment, with explosions and sirens filling the air. Hamas claimed that Israeli air strikes had already killed four of its hostages and threatened to carry out executions themselves. In a televised speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compared Hamas to the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, and announced plans to deploy "unprecedented force."

Israel has called up 300,000 army reservists for its campaign titled "Swords of Iron." Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that Israel would impose a complete siege on the Gaza Strip, cutting off electricity, food, water, and gas supplies. This move has raised concerns about the worsening humanitarian situation, which United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned would deteriorate exponentially.

The conflict has also heightened tensions in the Middle East, with Iran expressing support for Hamas, although denying any direct involvement in the military operation. Hamas has called on "resistance fighters" in the West Bank, as well as in Arab and Islamic nations, to join their operation, dubbed "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood."


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