Israel’s military announced on Saturday its plans to escalate strikes on Hamas-controlled Gaza in preparation for a ground invasion. Meanwhile, UN agencies expressed concerns about the catastrophic humanitarian crisis unfolding in the blockaded territory.
A limited amount of aid from Egypt entered the Palestinian enclave on Saturday. However, given the needs of the 2.4 million residents, the 20 trucks that were allowed to cross were considered inadequate.
Israeli officials have responded to Hamas’s murderous attack on October 7 by launching relentless strikes on Gaza. According to Israeli officials, this attack claimed the lives of at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated, or burned to death. The Hamas-run health ministry reported that the Israeli bombing campaign has resulted in over 4,300 Palestinians killed, with the majority being civilians. Additionally, large portions of the densely-populated territory have been reduced to ruins.
Local authorities cited by the UN have reported that more than 40 percent of all housing in Gaza has been damaged or destroyed. Israel has also halted the delivery of essential supplies such as food, water, fuel, and electricity.
In order to minimize risks for its troops during the imminent ground invasion, Israel plans to intensify its bombardment, as announced by military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari. He stated, “From today, we are increasing the strikes and minimizing the danger. We will increase the attacks, and therefore I called on Gaza City residents to continue moving south for their safety.”
Israel has already advised over one million residents in the northern part of Gaza to move south for their own safety. As a result, over half of the enclave’s population is now internally displaced, according to the UN. Nonetheless, continuous bombardment in southern parts of the Strip has caused Hamas authorities to report nine casualties in an overnight airstrike in Khan Younis.
Despite the warnings, it is believed that hundreds of thousands of civilians continue to remain in and around Gaza City in the north, either unwilling or unable to leave.
Qatar facilitating hostage releases
Israeli troops have amassed on the border with Gaza, with commanders visiting frontline units to rally the soldiers for the upcoming ground invasion. Chief of staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi assured one infantry brigade, “We will enter Gaza. Gaza is densely populated, the enemy is preparing a lot of things there — but we are also preparing for them.”
A ground invasion presents numerous challenges for the Israeli troops, who are likely to encounter booby traps and tunnels set up by Hamas in the densely packed urban environment.
Another complicating factor is the safety of over 200 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 and held in Gaza. Two American hostages were recently released with the assistance of Qatar, which also expressed optimism about more releases in the near future. Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari stated, “We are taking a path that will very soon lead to the release of the hostages, especially civilians. We are currently working on an agreement under which all civilian hostages will be initially released.”
After negotiations and pressure from the United States, 20 trucks carrying food and medicine were able to cross from Egypt into Gaza on Saturday. However, UN officials warned that much more assistance was needed. In a joint statement, five UN agencies emphasized the desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza before the recent hostilities and called for increased global efforts.
‘Something needs to be done’
At a peace summit organized by Egypt, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres once again pleaded for a humanitarian ceasefire to end the ongoing nightmare. However, the meeting did not result in a joint call due to divisions among participating countries. Western officials demanded a clear condemnation of Hamas, while Arab attendees decided to issue their own statement criticizing world leaders.
Inside Gaza, residents expressed their confusion about where to go and how to protect their families. Rami Abu Wazna, while looking at the destruction in central Gaza’s Al-Zahra neighborhood, said, “Even in my worst nightmares, I never thought this could be possible.”
The scale of the bombings has rendered basic systems inoperable, with the UN reporting that approximately 40 unidentified bodies were hastily buried in a mass grave in Gaza City due to a lack of cold storage for proper identification.
Across the border in Israel’s Kibbutz Beeri, where Hamas militants killed 10 percent of the population, preparations are being made for upcoming funerals. Romy Gold, a resident at the kibbutz, shared his struggle to comprehend the horror they endured, stating, “Around us, whole families were shot, butchered, or burned alive.” He believes that the ground invasion of Gaza cannot come soon enough and stresses the need for assurance that such atrocities will never happen again.
‘Better to leave now’
The conflict has sparked concerns of a wider conflagration, with Israeli raids and settler attacks resulting in the deaths of dozens of Palestinians in the West Bank.
Israel’s military announced on Sunday that it targeted “terror operatives” with an airstrike on a mosque in the West Bank’s Jenin. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, the strike resulted in one fatality and three injuries, citing the local Red Crescent. Exchanges of fire have also continued along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, where the military has engaged with militant group Hezbollah.
In southern Lebanon, Hezbollah reported four of its fighters killed, along with a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Israeli authorities confirmed three soldiers wounded, one of them seriously, due to Hezbollah anti-tank fire in the village of Baram. Additionally, two Thai farm workers were injured.
While Western leaders have warned against Hezbollah’s involvement in the conflict, the group’s number two, Naim Qassem, declared their readiness to increase their level of intervention if deemed necessary. “Let’s be clear, as events unfold, if something comes up that calls for greater intervention by us, we will do so.”
Israel has evacuated dozens of communities in the north, and nearly 4,000 people in Lebanon have fled border areas to seek refuge in the southern city of Tyre. Mustafa al-Sayyid, a resident who evacuated, expressed concerns about the safety of his young children, stating, “All my children are young. If the apocalypse comes, how will I get them all out in one go? So I thought, better to leave now.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
