Palestinians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings following Israeli airstrikes on the town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. Photo / AP
Palestinians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings following Israeli airstrikes on the town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. Photo / AP
Israeli troops and tanks briefly raided northern Gaza overnight, engaging with Hamas fighters and targeting anti-tank weapons in order to “prepare the battlefield” before an expected ground invasion.
The third Israeli raid since the war began came after more than two weeks of devastating airstrikes that have left thousands dead, and more than one million displaced from their homes, in the small, densely populated territory.
Arab leaders have made a joint plea for a ceasefire to end civilian suffering and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, where Israel has imposed a suffocating siege ever since Hamas’ rampage and hostage-taking in southern Israel ignited the war. Residents are running out of food, water and medicine, and UN workers have barely any fuel left to support relief missions.
The rising death toll in Gaza is unprecedented in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said more than 7000 Palestinians have died in the conflict, a figure that could not be independently verified. Even greater loss of life could come if Israel launches a ground offensive aimed at crushing Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007 and survived four previous wars with Israel.
More than 1400 people in Israel, mostly civilians, were slain during the initial Hamas attack, according to the Israeli government.
Hamas’ military wing said Israeli bombardment of Gaza has so far killed about 50 of the at least 224 hostages the militants abducted during its October 7 assault. There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials, who have denied previous, similar claims.
Family members and Jewish groups are trying to keep the spotlight on the hostages’ plight. In Paris, 30 empty baby strollers were displayed in front of the Eifel Tower - each with a photo of one of the children taken from Israel. A day earlier, blindfolded teddy bears with photos of the abducted children were placed in front of a fountain in Tel Aviv.
The conflict has threatened to ignite a wider war across the region.
Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed ally of Hamas in Lebanon, has repeatedly traded fire with Israel along the border. The United States has sent to the region two aircraft carrier strike groups, along with additional fighter jets and other weaponry and personnel.
Israel has vowed to crush Hamas’ capacity to govern Gaza or threaten Israel again but also says it doesn’t want to reoccupy the territory, from which it withdrew soldiers and settlers in 2005. That could prove a daunting challenge, since Hamas is deeply rooted in Gaza, with political and charity organizations as well as a formidable armed wing.
Benny Gantz, a retired general and a member of Israel’s war Cabinet, said any possible ground offensive would be only “one stage in a long-term process that includes security, political and social aspects that will take years”.
“The campaign will soon ramp up with greater force,” he added.
Palestinians evacuate two wounded boys out of the destruction following Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City. Photo / AP
The overnight raid into Gaza was the largest of several known brief incursions. The military said soldiers and tanks killed fighters and destroyed tunnels and anti-tank missile launching positions. The military said no Israelis were wounded. There was no immediate confirmation of any Palestinian casualties.
The overnight raid into Gaza was the largest of several known brief incursions. The military said soldiers and tanks killed fighters and destroyed tunnels and anti-tank missile launching positions. The military said no Israelis were wounded. There was no immediate confirmation of any Palestinian casualties.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, a military spokesman, said the incursion was “part of our preparations for the next stages of the war”.
The 7000 deaths reported by the Gaza Health Ministry is more than three times the number of Palestinians killed in the six-week-long Gaza war in 2014. The ministry’s toll includes more than 2900 minors and more than 1500 women.
After US President Joe Biden said he had “no confidence” in Gaza’s casualty figures, the Health Ministry countered by releasing a more than 200-page document listing the names of 6747 dead, including ages and gender. It said another 281 dead had not been identified and that hundreds still missing under rubble are not included in the count.
The warning by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, over depleting fuel supplies raised alarm that the humanitarian crisis could quickly worsen. Israel is still barring deliveries of fuel — needed to power generators — saying it believes Hamas will take it for military use.
About 1.4 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have fled their homes, with nearly half of them crowded into UN shelters. Hundreds of thousands remain in northern Gaza, despite Israel ordering them to evacuate to the south, saying those who remain might be considered “accomplices” of Hamas.
In recent days, Israel has let more than 70 trucks with aid enter from Egypt.
“This is a small amount of what is required, a drop in the ocean,” said William Schomburg, an official with the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza. “We are trying to establish a pipeline.”
Nine Arab countries – including key US allies and nations that have signed peace or normalisation deals with Israel - issued a joint statement calling for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the targeting and death of civilians.
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of a stationed tank near the Israeli border with Lebanon. Photo / AP
“The right to self-defence by the United Nations Charter does not justify blatant violations of humanitarian and international law,” said the statement, signed by Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Morocco.
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli authorities detained 86 Palestinians including five women in multiple raids overnight, bringing the total detained there to more than 1400, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club, which represents former and current prisoners. At least 104 Palestinians have been killed in violence in the West Bank.
