Israel-Hamas war latest update: The Israel Defence Forces or IDF has said that it will launch a coordinated attack by land, air and sea on Hamas targets in Gaza and asked civilians to move to safer areas south of the Wadi Gaza as soon as possible. “We are preparing to attack Gaza by “air, sea and land,” Israeli military spokesman Richard Hecht said, urging Gazans not to delay in evacuating to south.
Israel has asked around 1.1 million Gazans – nearly half of the total population of the Gaza Strip – to flee their homes and move to the southern areas. The United Nations has asked Israel to withdraw the mass evacuation order, warning “devastating humanitarian consequences”. The WHO also echoed the UN and said evacuation of more than a million Gazans is not possible in such a short span of time and that relocating hospitalised people would mean a “death sentence” to them.
Here are the top 10 points on Israel-Hamas war:
- More than a week after the brutal Hamas attack in which 1,300 people, including children, women and foreign nationals, were killed, Israel has announced a coordinated land, air and sea attack on Hamas targets in Gaza.
- More than 2,300 Palestinians have died in Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip since the brutal Hamas attack on October 7. In response to the attack Israel declared a war against Hamas and vowed to root out every Hamas militant.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Saturday visited Jewish communities attacked by Hamas and met soldiers near the Gaza border. He asked the soldiers, “Are you ready for what is coming?” and said “more is coming”, in an apparant reference to the Israeli ground assault on Gaza.
- The United States have moved its second aircraft carrier near Israel in order “to deter hostile actions against Israel”, a statement from the Pentagon said.
- Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran have extended their support to Hamas and there are fears the Israel-Hamas war could spiral into a bigger regional conflict.
- Meanwhile, the WHO has said that forcing hospitalized Gazans to relocate would be a “death sentence”. The UN has also warned Israel of “devastating humanitarian consequences” of its order, asking 1.1 million Gazans to flee north.
- Palestinian Health Ministry has said that more than 300 people have died in the Israeli air strikes in the last 24 hours, taking the official death toll to 2,329. Earlier, Israel had claimed to have found 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants near the border areas.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian Saturday met Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar where they agreed to continue cooperation” to achieve the group’s goals, Hamas said in a statement.
- In more news, an aid convoy has been waiting for hours to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing in Egypt. The trucks are carrying supplies from Egypt and Turkey for the Gazan civilians.
- Several foreign countries, including the US and the UK, have asked their nationals in the Gaza Strip to reach Rafah crossing and go to Egypt. However, the crossing is closed for now and it is not clear when it will open. Meanwhile, Indian government has rescued more Indian citizens from Israel.