As the war with Hamas entered its sixth day, Israeli forces continued to bombard the Gaza Strip while preparing for a potential ground invasion. 150 captives have been taken hostage by Hamas terrorists, and Israel has threatened to keep its siege in place until they are freed.
A 24-hour evacuation of northern Gaza, which is home to 1.1 million Palestinians, or almost half of the territory’s population, was mandated by Israel’s military on Friday.
The directive, according to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, is “impossible” without having “devastating humanitarian consequences.”
Israel presented graphic photographs of dead children and civilians to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO defense ministers in an effort to win support for its attack in the Gaza Strip. It claimed that the children and civilians were killed by Hamas.
Following Hamas’ horrific attack on Israeli communities on Saturday, October 7, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to eliminate the terrorist organization. But with over 1,500 people dead and essential supplies running out, Gaza is on the verge of a humanitarian disaster.
Here are the most recent events in the confrontation between Israel and Hamas:
A refugee camp in Gaza City’s Shati refugee camp is in ruins after an Israeli attack. The assault was a part of a stepped-up bombardment that followed a Hamas militant assault on many fronts that claimed the lives of over 1,300 Israelis.
Over 1,500 Palestinians, many of them women and kids, have died as a result of the airstrikes.
If Israel does not stop its bombardment, the war may erupt on “other fronts,” Iran’s UN delegation has warned. Iran has been vociferous about the success of the operation being owing to its surprise element, even though it denies any role in the Hamas strikes. It calls Israel’s operation the “biggest failure.”
In response to rumors of a ground assault of the region controlled by Hamas, Israel informed the UN on Friday that it had ordered 1.1 million people of northern Gaza to relocate further south within 24 hours. For “devastating consequences,” the UN has urged Tel Aviv to revoke its evacuation order.
According to the Times of Israel, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, called the UN’s response to Israel’s early warning to Gaza civilians a “disgrace” and said the organization should concentrate on denouncing Hamas and defending Israel’s right to self-defense.
Israel has called up 360,000 reservists, gathered forces close to Gaza, and evacuated tens of thousands of inhabitants from adjacent villages in response to the unexpected attack by Hamas. A new war Cabinet was sworn in to oversee the conflict and includes a longstanding opposition figure.
