24-10-2023 (GAZA) Israel announced on Tuesday (Oct 24) that it had carried out strikes on Gaza overnight, resulting in the deaths of dozens of Hamas fighters. The Israeli government made it clear that there were no plans to ease the bombardment of the besieged Palestinian enclave.
As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens after two weeks of intense Israeli attacks, the United States has urged Israel to allow more aid into the region. However, prospects for a ceasefire seem unlikely in the bloodiest episode of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in decades.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, the death toll in Gaza has now surpassed 5,000 due to the Israeli air strikes, which were launched in response to a Hamas attack that claimed the lives of over 1,400 people, mostly civilians, in a single day.
In a positive development, Hamas released two Israeli women on Monday, who were among the more than 200 hostages taken during the group’s assault on southern Israel on Oct 7. These were the third and fourth hostages to be released. However, Israeli tanks and troops remain stationed at the border between Israel and the Hamas-ruled enclave, awaiting orders for a potential ground invasion. Concerns over the safety of the hostages complicate the situation.
The Israeli military reported targeting over 400 militant sites in Gaza overnight and claimed to have killed dozens of Hamas fighters, including three deputy battalion commanders. Among the targeted locations were a tunnel used by Hamas for infiltration from the sea and Hamas command centers in mosques. Reuters has not independently verified this report.
Large areas of Gaza have been devastated by Israeli bombings, forcing over one million residents to seek refuge elsewhere in the territory. With essentials such as food, clean water, medicine, and fuel rapidly depleting, the United Nations and aid agencies have issued warnings of an impending humanitarian catastrophe and pleaded for the allowance of supplies into Gaza.
Israeli Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi stated that Israel had no intention of curtailing its strikes and aimed to fully dismantle Hamas. He emphasized that preparations for a potential ground operation in the south were underway.
Medical officials in Gaza reported dozens of Palestinians killed or injured overnight, primarily in southern Gaza, as a result of Israeli bombings. At least 15 houses were destroyed. Witnesses stated that an Israeli missile struck a petrol station in Khan Younis, where individuals who had fled the eastern side of the city were seeking refuge. Several people were killed or wounded in the attack.
Ashraf Al-Qidra, spokesperson for the Gaza health ministry, revealed that more than 40 medical centers had ceased operations due to fuel shortages and damage caused by Israeli bombings.
Foreign governments have expressed concerns about the conflict potentially escalating throughout the Middle East. Clashes have already erupted in the West Bank and along the Lebanon-Israel border.
Qatar’s ruling emir, who has attempted to mediate between Israel and Hamas, called on the international community to intervene and restrain Israel in its fight against Hamas. French President Emmanuel Macron, during his visit to Tel Aviv, expressed support for Israel, stating that his country mourned the loss of 30 French citizens in the Oct 7 attacks, with nine still missing or held hostage.
US President Joe Biden welcomed the release of the two hostages and stressed the need for sustained humanitarian assistance into Gaza in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While publicly supporting Israel’s right to self-defense, the United States has privately appealed for caution in its conversations with Israeli officials, aiming to buy time for negotiations to free the remaining hostages.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken planned to attend a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East on Tuesday, although the potential actions to be taken by the council, divided among its five veto-wielding powers, remained unclear.
