| 10 October 2023
| Christie Anto
In a devastating turn of events, the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has entered its fourth day, with a rapidly escalating death toll and no sign of an immediate ceasefire. The Israeli military has reported significant gains in the southern regions of the country, including the recovery of approximately 1,500 Hamas militants' bodies within Israeli territory. As the situation worsens, concerns are mounting about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza and the potential for the conflict to spread to new fronts.
The Israeli military spokesperson, Richard Hecht, confirmed that they had effectively gained control in the south and "restored full control" over the border. However, it remains unclear whether the number of militants found by Israel overlaps with the casualties previously reported by Palestinian authorities. While Hecht stated that no Hamas fighters had crossed into Israel since the previous night, he acknowledged the possibility of future infiltrations.
The conflict reached a critical turning point when Israeli warplanes relentlessly pounded downtown Gaza City, the center of Hamas' government operations. This escalation came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation against the Islamic militant group, promising actions that would "reverberate for generations."
The death toll from the four-day-old war has already surpassed 1,600, with Israel experiencing gun battles in its own towns for the first time in decades and entire neighborhoods in Gaza reduced to rubble. The situation became even more dire when Hamas threatened to kill captured Israelis in response to Israeli airstrikes targeting civilians without warning.
Israel has reported that Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza are holding over 150 soldiers and civilians who were taken from inside Israel, catching their military and intelligence apparatus off guard.
With the Israeli military activating 300,000 reservists, a major question looms over whether they will launch a ground assault into the densely populated Gaza Strip. The last ground assault of this magnitude occurred in 2014.
Thousands of Israelis have been evacuated from towns near Gaza, with tanks and drones deployed to guard breaches in the Gaza border fence. In Gaza, tens of thousands of civilians have fled their homes as airstrikes continue to level buildings.
These developments, along with Israel's formal declaration of war on Sunday, indicate a shift towards an offensive strategy against Hamas, raising concerns of even greater destruction in the impoverished Gaza Strip.
Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized that Israel had only just begun its strikes against Hamas, particularly targeting the Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, where Hamas' ministries and government buildings are located.
Regarding civilian safety, Hecht mentioned that Gazans were being informed of impending strikes through social media but did not provide specific details.
On Monday, Israel discovered more bodies resulting from Hamas' recent attack on southern Israeli towns, with 100 bodies found in the farming community of Be'eri, constituting around 10% of its population.
The conflict's toll on both sides is staggering, with Israel reporting over 900 deaths, while Gaza and the West Bank authorities report 704 deaths, including hundreds of Hamas fighters. Thousands have been wounded on both sides.
In response to Israeli aerial attacks, Hamas' armed wing spokesperson, Abu Obeida, announced that the group would execute an Israeli civilian captive whenever Israel targeted Gaza civilians without prior warning.
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen issued a stern warning to Hamas, labeling any harm to hostages as a war crime. Netanyahu appointed a former military commander to oversee the hostage and missing persons crisis.
This conflict marks another chapter in the long-standing hostilities between Israel and Hamas, with tensions often triggered by events around Jerusalem's holy sites. This time, the stakes appear higher as both sides seem determined to break a yearslong Israeli-Palestinian deadlock left by the faltering peace process.
The surprise attack by Hamas over the weekend resulted in a death toll not seen since the 1973 war with Egypt and Syria. This has fueled calls to crush Hamas, rather than containing it in Gaza. Israel's current government leans heavily to the right and rejects Palestinian statehood, while Hamas insists on a protracted battle to end what it calls an intolerable Israeli occupation.
Desperation among Palestinians has grown, driven by their perception of unending Israeli control, increasing settler activities in the West Bank, the Gaza blockade, and what they perceive as global indifference.
Both sides' attacks have left a trail of destruction, with scenes of devastation in Israeli cities like Ashkelon and in Gaza's Jebaliya refugee camp. Rockets fired from Gaza even reached Jerusalem, signaling the extent of Hamas' reach.
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have resulted in the destruction of 790 housing units and severe damage to 5,330 more, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Additionally, three water and sanitation sites have been damaged, cutting off services to 400,000 people.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has ordered a "complete siege" on Gaza, which includes cutting off electricity and blocking food and fuel supplies. This move has raised concerns about a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
Jan Egeland, the secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council aid group, has warned that Israel's siege could lead to an "utter disaster" for Gazans. He emphasized that collective punishment is a violation of international law and could potentially amount to war crimes if it leads to the death of wounded children in hospitals due to a lack of essential supplies.
The Israeli siege will leave Gaza heavily reliant on its crossing into Egypt at Rafah, where cargo capacities are lower than other crossings into Israel.
In response to the crisis, Egypt has sent over 2 tons of medical supplies via the Egyptian Red Crescent to Gaza, with efforts underway to organize food and other deliveries.
Tens of thousands of Gaza residents continue to flee their homes, with the U.N. reporting that over 187,000 of Gaza's 2.3 million people have already left. UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, is providing shelter to more than 137,000 people in schools across the territory, while families have taken in an additional 41,000 displaced individuals.
Meanwhile, in the West Bank, Palestinians are enduring a fourth day under severe movement restrictions, with Israeli authorities sealing off crossings and checkpoints, effectively blocking movement between cities and towns. Clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces have resulted in 15 Palestinian deaths since the start of the incursion, according to the U.N.
As the conflict intensifies and the death toll continues to rise, there is a growing international call for an immediate ceasefire to prevent further loss of life and mitigate the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The world watches with bated breath as this devastating conflict unfolds, with hopes for a swift and peaceful resolution fading with each passing day.
Kommentare