Israel has maintained its relentless aircraft assaults on the Gaza Strip for another day. It began after Hamas, the organization in charge of the besieged enclave, launched an unprecedented offensive on Israel by sending tens of thousands of missiles and militants there.
At least 770 Palestinian civilians have been killed by the shelling so far, including many minors, and another 4,000 more have been injured. The Hamas onslaught also claimed more than 900 lives in Israel and injured at least 2,600.
Palestinian people in Gaza, which is under siege and has a population of 2.3 million, rushed to take refuge as Israel conducted over 200 air assaults overnight today.
“I fled from home at one in the morning with my child and wife,” a Gazan told journalists. “We arrived at another designated location after escaping from one. Everything caught us off guard as fire and flames were hurled in our direction. In the Gaza Strip, there is nowhere to feel secure.
The Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza had scenes of terror later in the day. Many youngsters were among the injured victims who were being rushed by medical personnel and family members.
Al Jazeera’s reporter Youmna ElSayed wrote that healthcare personnel were “overwhelmed” while speaking from Gaza’s main hospital. “There is a white tent in the yard of the hospital, a [makeshift] extension to the morgue because they are full of bodies,” she said. “Some of the families have already taken their relatives quickly … in order to empty the morgue. No funerals are being held due to the intensity of the bombing.”
Israel declared a “total blockade” on the region yesterday, shutting off its access to food, water, gasoline, and power. According to UN regulations, a siege like this with the intention of starving people is a war crime.
Gaza in Emergent Condition
Staff at the Gaza hospital reported a lack of supplies, equipment, and medications, and that the power outages made the situation worse. In the previous two days, Gaza only had access to electricity for four hours. The lone power plant there is claiming that after that, it can only continue to run only for two days.
After days of combat with Hamas terrorists, the Israeli army declared today that it had restored complete control of the regions close to the Gaza Strip.
The army’s technicians, according to spokesman Daniel Hagari, are patching up the places where Hamas gunmen broke over the border with Gaza on Saturday morning. Nearby Gaza, in the Israeli town of Ashdod, blasts is audible every couple of minutes. War indications are visible and audible from here.
300,000 reserve soldiers have been called up by the Israeli army, sparking concerns that a ground invasion of Gaza is in progress. Every time Israel randomly attacks a Palestinian home, Hamas has vowed to execute one of the dozens of hostages it has kidnapped.
Since the violence started, 13 attacks have targeted medical institutions, according to the WHO. Additionally, already placed medical supplies have been utilized. A critical passage into the Gaza Strip is urgently needed, according to the UN organization, and the bloodshed must stop immediately.
WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic stated during a news conference in Geneva, “WHO is calling for an end to the violence… a humanitarian corridor is needed to reach people with critical medical supplies.”
In the midst of the fierce fighting, up to 200 thousand people, or over a10% of the population, were displaced and left their homes.
