After the massive attack by Hamas, the head of the Israeli government Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to kill all members of the Palestinian radical Islamic organization. “Hamas is the Islamic State, and we will crush and destroy it as the world destroyed the Islamic State,” Netanyahu said on Wednesday night, in his first speech to members of the new so-called war cabinet. Every “Hamas member is a dead man,” he said.
Ministry of Defense Joav Gallant agreed with the head of government that Israel would “wipe Hamas off the face of the earth.”
Hamas attack on Israel over the weekend
Hamas launched a major attack on Israel on Saturday, prompting the Israeli army to mobilize tens of thousands of soldiers and place the Gaza Strip under constant fire. According to preliminary information, the attackers killed more than 1,300 people in Israel. Israel’s army said late Wednesday that 189 soldiers were among more than 1,300 dead. According to the Israeli army, 150 people were kidnapped by Hamas fighters and taken to the Gaza Strip.
The death toll in the Gaza Strip rose to 1,200 and around 5,600 people were injured, Palestinian media reported, citing the Gaza Strip’s Ministry of Health.
After the most serious attack on Israel since its founding 75 years ago, Netanyahu and opposition politician Benny Gantz On Wednesday, they reached an agreement on a joint “emergency government and war cabinet”, as they announced in a joint statement. The three-member “war cabinet” is said to include Netanyahu, Gantz and Gallant.
Heavy airstrikes on the Gaza Strip
Since the massacres, Israel has responded with heavy airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. At least 1,100 people died there and more than 5,300 were injured. The Israeli army continued the bombardment on Thursday night. The military announced on Telegram this morning that a large-scale attack was underway against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has created a network of tunnels under the isolated coastal area, army spokesman Jonathan Conricus said. These are not bunkers for the civilian population; the tunnels are used exclusively for Hamas and its terrorist objectives. “This is what we are attacking,” said the Army spokesman.
The situation of the trapped Palestinian civilian population is becoming increasingly precarious. Arab League member states called for an immediate halt to Israeli attacks and warned of the “catastrophic” humanitarian consequences and security risks posed by an intensification of the conflict.
Speaker: Israel’s military targets entire Hamas leadership
According to a spokesman, the Israeli military wants to eliminate the entire leadership of the Islamic group Hamas that governs the country with attacks in the Gaza Strip. This includes not only the military but also Hamas’s political leadership, said military spokesman Richard Hecht: “We are focusing on eliminating the senior leadership, even (Hamas leader Jihia) al-Sinwar.” According to Israeli information, the political leadership, including Sinwar, also knew about the attack plans.
Hamas fires rockets at Tel Aviv
Radical Islamist Hamas, meanwhile, said it fired rockets at Tel Aviv again on Thursday. The Palestinian organization said the attacks were a response to Israeli airstrikes that targeted civilians in two refugee camps.
Biden: Observe the “rules of war.”
President of the USA Joe Biden called on Israel to act in accordance with the “rules of war” and to respect international law. There are signs that the Israeli army will launch a ground offensive in the densely populated area. 300,000 soldiers were mobilized.
US President Biden called the Hamas attack “the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.” However, he called on Netanyahu’s government to maintain a sense of proportion in its reaction, as he emphasized in a meeting with key representatives of Jewish communities in Washington.
The US government is in talks with Israel and Egypt about opening a border crossing for civilians to leave the Gaza Strip. “We want to ensure as best we can – and I know Israel wants to ensure as best we can – that civilians are not harmed,” said the US Secretary of State. Antony Blinken before his departure to Israel, where he will become prime minister on Thursday Benjamin Netanyahu and president Duke Izchak want to meet.
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UN Secretary General Guterres calls for urgent help for the civilian population in Gaza
Taking into account the suffering of the civilian population and the massive destruction caused by ongoing Israeli airstrikes, the UN Secretary-General called on António Guterres rapid assistance to the populations of the coastal strip, which is just 40 kilometers long and between six and twelve kilometers wide. Vital supplies – including fuel, food and water – must be able to reach the Gaza Strip. “We now need rapid and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid,” Guterres said on Wednesday in New York. He called on Hamas to release all hostages.
Egypt assured the United Nations that it would open its border with Gaza for humanitarian aid deliveries. Al-Arish airport in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, located near the Rafah crossing, could also be used, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. Rafah is the only border crossing from the Gaza Strip to Egypt. All other crossing points go to Israel. Most recently, all crossings were closed. Israel has imposed a total blockade on the area, which is home to around 2.3 million Palestinians.
➤ Read more here: Trapped in Gaza: NGOs are also being bombed
EU foreign policy chief Borrell sees violations of international law
The head of EU foreign policy Josep Borrell accused the Jerusalem government of violating international law with measures such as cutting off water, electricity and food supplies to the Gaza Strip. According to the UN emergency relief office, OCHA, around 264,000 people have fled within the cordoned off area so far. The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described Israel’s incessant airstrikes as “massacres.” At the same time, he condemned the murder of Israeli civilians by Hamas.