Israel’s military got ready to launch a ground invasion into the Hamas-run Gaza Strip as the region retaliated against an unprecedented attack on its territory and Iran threatened “far-reaching consequences” if Israel’s bombing continued.
Gaza braces for Israeli ground assault: In punishment for a spree in which its fighters rushed through Israeli villages eight days ago, murdering men, women, and children and taking hostages in the deadliest attack on civilians in the nation’s history, Israel has pledged to exterminate the Hamas organisation.
Astonishing mobile phone video footage and allegations of atrocities in the villages and kibbutzes that were overtaken caused the unexpected onslaught, which claimed about 1,300 lives, to shake the nation.
In response, Israel bombarded Gaza with a level of intensity never before seen, placing the enclave, which is home to 2.3 million Palestinians, under total siege and obliterating much of its infrastructure.
By the early hours of Sunday, the anticipated ground attack had not yet started. According to Gazan authorities, more than 2,200 people have died, with a fifth of them being minors, and close to 10,000 have been injured.
Rescuers made frantic efforts to find survivors of nighttime air raids. According to reports, one million people had abandoned their houses.
Tensions Escalate in Israel-Hamas Conflict: International Reactions and Calls for Restraint
The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also threatened the Hezbollah organisation in Lebanon with the “destruction of Lebanon” if it launched a second front of conflict.
Late on Saturday, Iran’s envoy to the UN issued a warning, stating that “the situation could spiral out of control” and warning of serious repercussions if Israel’s “war crimes and genocide” were not quickly stop.
Iran supports both Hezbollah and Hamas. Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, met with the foreign minister of Iran on Saturday in Qatar. They talked about the Palestinian organization’s strike in Israel and “agreed to continue cooperation” to accomplish the group’s objectives, according to a statement from Hamas.
Other foreign leaders, including US Vice President Joe Biden, issued a warning against any nation escalating the violence.
Additionally, international organisations and aid organisations advocated restraint and pressured Israel to let the passage of humanitarian aid.
Russia requested in New York that the UN Security Council vote on a draught resolution on the Israel-Hamas conflict on Monday. The resolution calls for a humanitarian ceasefire and denounces all acts of terrorism as well as violence against civilians.
begs for assistance and cautions against larger conflicts
In a phone chat with Netanyahu on Saturday, Biden reiterated his “unwavering” support for Israel and talked about the need for global cooperation to guarantee that innocent civilians have access to food, water, and medical treatment.
Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, highlighted to Biden the urgent necessity to permit humanitarian relief routes in Gaza during their conversation.
The Eisenhower aircraft carrier strike group will begin advancing towards the Eastern Mediterranean, according to the US Department of Defence, where it will join another carrier strike group currently present.
The move, said to Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, was “part of our effort to deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts towards widening this war following Hamas’s attack on Israel.”
The largest colony in the enclave, Gaza City, is located in the northern half of the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli military ordered people to leave as soon as possible.
It announced on Saturday that it would protect Palestinians who were attempting to evacuate along two major roadways up until 4:00 p.m. (1300 GMT). As the deadline approached, troops began to assemble.
Hamas warned people not to leave and said that the roads were dangerous. It said that strikes on trucks and automobiles carrying refugees on Friday resulted in the deaths of dozens of people, a claim that Reuters was unable to independently confirm.
Some locals declared their intent to stay in remembrance of the “Nakba,” or “catastrophe,” which refers to the period when numerous Palestinians were force from their homes during the 1948 conflict that preceded the establishment of Israel.
Challenges in Gaza: Israel-Hamas Dispute, Humanitarian Crisis, and Border Restrictions
Shaheen, who was at home with her grandkids while under constant Israeli bombing and facing a lack of food, clean water, and electricity, declared, “We will not leave our homes, and we will not be displace, despite the strikes on us.”
Israel claims that Hamas is keeping individuals from leaving so that it can use them as human shields; Hamas disputes this.
Early on Sunday, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that 800 people had suffered injuries and 300 people had lost their lives in Gaza over the previous 24 hours, with the majority of them being women and children.
The Rafah gate with Egypt was the only exit from Gaza that was not governed by Israel.
Although Egypt claims that their side is open, Israeli strikes have prevented any traffic for days.
According to Egyptian security sources, Cairo does not intend to accept a significant influx of refugees, and the Egyptian side is strengthening its position.
According to a representative of the US State Department, the country has been in contact with Palestinian-Americans who want to leave Gaza and is working to open the crossing so that some people can leave.
Later, Washington claimed that it had instructed its citizens to attempt to cross. As it hunts out and eliminates Hamas fighters, Israel claims that its order for evacuation is a humanitarian act.
According to the UN, it is impossible to convey so many people securely through Gaza without triggering a humanitarian catastrophe.
Hezbollah’s caution
Fears of a new front opening up in the war have increased as the bloodshed in Gaza has been accompanied by the worst skirmishes near Israel’s northern border with Lebanon since 2006.
Hezbollah, an armed group in Lebanon, claimed to have fired guided missiles and mortar bombs at five Israeli outposts in the contested Shebaa Farms region.
Reuters heard gunshots and Israeli bombardment as well as seeing rockets being fired towards an Israeli army base. Five border communities were reportedly on lockdown as a result of a possible incursion from Lebanon, according to Israel’s Kan radio.
Tzachi Hanegbi, a security advisor to Netanyahu, stated that Israel “is making efforts to avoid getting involve in a two-front war” and warned Hezbollah to stay out of the battle.