ISRAEL: On Sunday, Israeli forces made preparations for a potential ground incursion into the Gaza Strip as the nation hit back for an unprecedented attack on its territory. Meanwhile, Iran issued a warning of “far-reaching consequences” unless Israel’s airstrikes ceased.
Israel has pledged to eliminate the militant group Hamas in retaliation for a brutal assault by its fighters on Israeli towns eight days ago, during which Hamas militants targeted men, women, and children and took hostages in the bloodiest attack on civilians in the nation’s history.
About 1,300 people lost their lives in the sudden assault, which shocked the nation with horrible videos from cell phones and stories of horrors in the overrun towns and kibbutzes from emergency services and medical professionals.
In retaliation, Israel launched an unprecedented and relentless bombardment on Gaza, subjecting the densely populated enclave, housing 2.3 million Palestinians, to a complete siege and causing extensive damage to its infrastructure.
By early Sunday morning, the anticipated ground offensive had not started.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh shortly after 7:30 a.m. (0430 GMT) as a part of his efforts to collaborate with regional allies in order to prevent the conflict from escalating into a larger-scale war and to facilitate the release of the hostages.
According to Gaza authorities, the reported casualty toll exceeded 2,300, with a significant portion being children, and nearly 10,000 individuals had sustained injuries.
Rescue teams worked tirelessly to locate survivors in the aftermath of nocturnal air raids. Approximately one million people were said to have evacuated their residences.
Additionally, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hezbollah, Israel’s northern neighbour, not to initiate a second front war, threatening the “destruction of Lebanon” if it did.
On Sunday, a high-ranking Israeli official accused Iran of attempting to create this second front by allegedly deploying weaponry in or through Syria, responding to a post on the social media platform X that had raised such a possibility.
Joshua Zarka, Israel’s foreign ministry’s chief of strategic affairs, wrote, “They (Iranians) are.”
Late on Saturday night, Iran’s UN delegation issued a dire warning, stating that “the situation could spiral out of control” and have far-reaching effects if Israel’s “war crimes and genocide” were not urgently stopped.
Iran provides support to Hezbollah and Hamas.
Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, and the foreign minister of Iran met on Saturday in Qatar to discuss the most recent attack by the Palestinian group in Israel and to reaffirm their commitment to continuing to work together to achieve the group’s goals.
The Israeli military reported that it had conducted an airstrike in Khan Younis, resulting in the elimination of a commander from Hamas’ elite Nukhba Force. This commander had led the attack on the two Israeli border villages, Nirim and Nir Oz, which occurred on October 7.
U.S. President Joe Biden, along with other global leaders, issued warnings against any further escalation of the conflict. International organisations and humanitarian groups called for restraint and implored Israel to permit the passage of humanitarian aid.
Russia requested that the U.N. Security Council vote on a draft resolution about the Israel-Hamas conflict on Monday in New York. The resolution calls for a humanitarian ceasefire and denounces all acts of terrorism and violence against civilians.
On Saturday, Biden spoke with Netanyahu over the phone and, while restating his “unwavering” support for Israel, they also talked about international coordination to guarantee that innocent people had access to food, water, and medical treatment.
President Biden also had a conversation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, during which President Abbas emphasised the immediate necessity of establishing humanitarian aid corridors in Gaza.
The U.S. Department of Defense announced that the Eisenhower aircraft carrier strike group is being deployed towards the eastern Mediterranean to join an existing carrier strike group in the region.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that “part of our effort to deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts towards widening this war following Hamas’s attack on Israel.”
On Friday, the Israeli military issued an urgent directive for residents of the northern part of the Gaza Strip, which includes the largest settlement, Gaza City, to relocate to the south without delay.
Subsequently, on Saturday, the Israeli military assured the safety of Palestinians who were evacuating using two main roads until 4 p.m. (1300 GMT). Troops were observed gathering as this deadline passed.
Hamas warned residents not to leave, claiming that the roads were dangerous. It stated that on Friday, strikes on vehicles and trucks transporting refugees claimed the lives of several dozen people.
Some locals stated they would not leave, citing the “Nakba,” or “catastrophe,” as their reason. During the 1948 war that preceded Israel’s birth, many Palestinians were driven from their homes.
Israel claims that Hamas is keeping individuals from leaving so that it can use them as human shields; Hamas disputes this claim.
Early on Sunday, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that 800 additional people had been injured and 300 had died in Gaza over the previous day; the majority of them were women and children.
The sole exit point from Gaza that is not under Israeli control is the Rafah checkpoint with Egypt.
Although Egypt officially states that its side is open, the flow of traffic has been disrupted for several days due to Israeli airstrikes. Egyptian security sources have indicated that they are reinforcing their side of the checkpoint and that Cairo has no intention of accommodating a large influx of refugees.
According to a State Department official, the US was in contact with Palestinian-Americans who wanted to leave Gaza and was working to unlock the crossing so that some people might escape.
Later, Washington claimed to have instructed its people to attempt to cross.
Israel says that, as it drives out Hamas fighters, the evacuation order is a humanitarian gesture. According to the U.N., moving so many people securely within Gaza would result in a humanitarian catastrophe.
Hezbollah Warning
Amid the violence in Gaza, the border between Israel and Lebanon has witnessed its most intense clashes since 2006, raising concerns about the conflict spreading to a new front.
Hezbollah stated that he had fired mortar bombs and guided missiles at five Israeli outposts in the disputed Shebaa Farms area.
Five border communities were placed under lockdown, according to Israel’s Kan radio, in response to a possible incursion from Lebanon.
Tzachi Hanegbi, Netanyahu’s security advisor, cautioned Hezbollah to remain out of the conflict, saying Israel was “trying not to be drawn into a two-front war.”
Also Read: Gaza in Crisis: Mass Evacuation amidst Ongoing Conflict Revives Memories of Historical Displacement
