The ongoing war between Israeli forces and Hamas militants is only escalating, with intensified attacks on both sides. The Israeli government has formed an emergency war cabinet to present a united front, even as forces continue to bomb the Gaza Strip.
The attacks come in retribution for a weekend attack by Palestinian Hamas militants who breached the border and have killed 1,200 so far in Israel. Gaza has been put under “total siege” by Israel, with food and fuel supply stopped to the enclave of 2.3 million people.
From its establishment in the late 1980s, on the eve of the first Palestinian intifada, or uprising, Hamas has been committed to armed struggle and the destruction of Israel. At the height of the peace process in the 1990s, it launched scores of suicide bombings and other attacks that killed hundreds of Israeli civilians. The violence only intensified with the breakdown in peace talks and the far deadlier second Palestinian uprising in 2000. At the height of the peace process in the 1990s, it launched scores of suicide bombings and other attacks that killed hundreds of Israeli civilians. The violence only intensified with the breakdown in peace talks and the far deadlier second Palestinian uprising in 2000.
According to news agency, the Gaza Health Ministry stated that at least 1,100 people had died and that 535 residential buildings had been damaged, leaving almost 250,000 people without a place to live.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken of the United States is on his way to Israel to demonstrate Washington’s unwavering support for the nation, negotiate the release of prisoners, including Americans, and avert the outbreak of a wider conflict.
In a broadcast message, Hamas fighters declared, “On Friday, Hamas is going to launch a big offensive to take revenge for the killings of women and children by Israel in Gaza.”
Hamas threatened on Thursday, saying, “This operation against Israel did not ever come in the dreams of Israel.”
“Dozens of fighter jets and helicopters attacked a series of terrorist targets of the Hamas terrorist organization throughout the Gaza Strip. So far, the IAF has dropped about 6,000 bombs against Hamas targets,” Israeli Air Force stated.
“The airstrikes killed hundreds of terrorists and attacked over 3,600 targets, including command and control targets, strategic military infrastructure, weapons production sites, intelligence assets, leadership targets, naval superiority targets and rocket system targets,” the Israeli Air Force said.
“We will continue to attack forcefully and relentlessly, as long as necessary,” the IAF added.
“Here are some of the photos Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Warning: These are horrifying photos of babies murdered and burned by the Hamas monsters. Hamas is inhuman. Hamas is ISIS,” Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu shared on X.
