A spokesman for the Israeli military has said that “hundreds of tons of bombs” had been dropped on Gaza as troops prepare for a ground invasion, saying that “the emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy”.
The Telegraph reports that Rear-Adml Daniel Hagari, made the comments Tuesday and that “separately, an unnamed Israeli defence official told broadcaster Channel 13 on Wednesday that Gaza would be reduced to a “city of tents” by the end of the campaign”.
BBC’s Rushdi Abualouf has said that the the scale of destruction in Gaza City was “staggering”, while drone footage shown by Sky News revealed that the Israeli airstrikes has destroyed Gaza’s refugee camp.
It’s like an earthquake, driving through the Gaza City southern neighborhood, the scale of destruction is staggering pic.twitter.com/IVrkFs9bVL
— Rushdi Abualouf (@Rushdibbc) October 10, 2023
Drone footage shows Gaza's refugee camp destroyed by Israeli airstrikes.
The airstrikes come as Israel vowed unprecedented retaliation against the Hamas militant group.
Read more: https://t.co/eh6eThW9LU pic.twitter.com/u4EkdjzB8z
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 11, 2023
Israel has vowed “mighty vengeance” against Hamas, after an unprecedented invasion last Saturday when the country was subjected to a multi-pronged surprise attack which saw more than 1,300 Israelis brutally killed, including more than 270 young people at a festival.
The attacks, described as “heinous” by the European Commission, also left some 2,800 people wounded, with attacks on farming families including children and those living in a kibbutz described as massacres.
Now, at least 1,350 people, mostly Palestinians, including at least 326 children, have been killed in Gaza by Israel’s retaliatory strikes, the Gaza Ministry of Health has said, with another 5,800 believed to be wounded.
Two days after the Hamas attacks, Israel declared announced a total blockade on Gaza, saying there will be “no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed”.
“We are putting a complete siege on Gaza … No electricity, no food, no water, no gas – it’s all closed,” Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant said:
This morning, it is reported that Israel says the siege of Gaza will not end until the estimated 150 Israeli hostages taken in the Hamas attack are released. “No electrical switch will be turned on, no water hydrant will be opened and no fuel truck will enter,” energy minister Israel Katz said.
Last night saw a near-total power outage in Gaza. This morning, the International Committee of the Red Cross said hospitals in Gaza would run out of fuel for their generators in a few hours.
Speaking to reporters, ICRC’s Fabrizio Carboni, said: “Our understanding is that there is still fuel – but probably only for a few hours – to allow generators to work.”
Israel is believed to be preparing for a possible ground invasion of Gaza, though a final decision is yet to be made. President Issac Herzog said this morning that Israeli civilians killed by Hamas militants and found in the past 24 hours have shown “signs of torture” and that Israel was “faced with one of the most cruel enemies on earth”.
Reuter said that “a group of independent United Nations experts have condemned violence against civilians in Israel and also deplored the “collective punishment” of reprisal strikes against Gaza”.
Condemning the “horrific crimes committed by Hamas”, the group added that Israel had resorted to “indiscriminate military attacks against the already exhausted Palestinian people of Gaza”.
“They have lived under unlawful blockade for 16 years, and already gone through five major brutal wars, which remain unaccounted for,” the UN group said in a statement.
In Ireland, the Catholic Archbishops in a joint statement said:”We urge a cessation of violence in the Holy Land, respect of civilian populations and release of hostages.”
“Over the past days we have watched with shock and dismay the events that have unfolded in the land of the birth of Our Lord.
“The ongoing situation has caused great suffering to many innocent people on all sides in the present conflict. The loss of innocent lives together with the large numbers of innocent people injured in the Holy Land is a great affront to a lasting peace. Unfortunately, the present crisis does not augur well for the immediate future as many more may endure destruction and death.”
“We, who love the Holy Land as the 5th Gospel, urge all people of goodwill to work towards a cessation of violence, ensuring that civilian populations be respected and that all hostages are released without harm,” they said.
Photo details: Palestinians carry the body of a 3-year-old child, Amir Qanan, who was killed after an Israeli air strike on his home, in the city of Khan Yunis, southern of the Gaza Strip, on October 10 2023. C: Shutterstock / Anas-Mohammed