Sri Krishen Kaw
JAMMU: Israel seems to have gone berserk to take on Hamas since the devastating war has been going on for the last ten days between Israel and Palestine, destroying prominent hideouts of Hamas in Gaza Strip. Hezbollah, an armed outfit of Lebanon, has joined Hamas in its war against Israel. At least 49 people were killed in heavy shelling today in south Gaza, where civilians are seeking refuge, and Palestinians reported heavy Israeli airstrikes in southern Gaza on Tuesday, where they were ordered to seek refuge by the Israeli side. Israel soldiers killed Hamas leader Osama al-Mazini, taking the death toll to at least 2,778, and 9,700 wounded in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry there. More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed, the vast majority of civilians massacred in Hamas’ October 7 assault according to reports poured in by the national and international news agencies.
Yet in a major breakthrough, Israel Defense Force (IDF) Chief of the Defense Staff Herzi Halevi shot a letter to the soldiers of Israel engaged in the war against Hamas for the last over ten days in which thousands of innocent people got killed and injured, besides millions rendered homeless. Gaza’s interior ministry said on Tuesday that at least 49 Palestinians were killed in an overnight Israeli strike that hit homes in Khan Younis and Rafah, as per reports quoting the ministry. Palestinians were ordered to seek refuge by the Israeli side. Earlier, aid workers warned that Gaza was on the verge of collapse because of the Israeli siege, as thousands of people seek shelter. Water supplies and power are also running out at many hospitals, as per reports. Truckloads of aid were reported waiting at the Rafah crossing to go into Gaza. Meanwhile, Iran on Monday warned of a possible “pre-emptive action” against Israel in the coming hours as Israel readies for a ground offensive on the Gaza Strip, indicating the real possibility of Hezbollah joining the war. In a live broadcast on state TV, Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said, “The possibility of pre-emptive action by the resistance axis is expected in the coming hours.” His remarks came while referring to his meeting with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday. On Monday, Iran’s top diplomat and president, Ebrahim Raisi, had said time was running out to reach a political solution and warned against the expansion of the war between Israel and Palestine to other fronts. Amir-Abdollahian said on Monday that “the resistance leaders” will not allow Israel “to do whatever it wants in Gaza.” “If we don’t defend Gaza today, tomorrow we have to defend against these (phosphorus) bombs in the children’s hospital of our own country,” he added. Residents and humanitarian groups pleaded on Monday for water, food, and fuel for dying generators as truckloads of aid were stuck at Egypt’s border with Gaza. In Gaza, hospitals were on the verge of losing electricity, threatening the lives of thousands of patients, the report further added. Many have resorted to drinking dirty or sewage-filled water with taps dry, risking the spread of disease. All eyes were on the Rafah crossing, Gaza’s only connection to Egypt after Israel cut off entry of any supplies. Mediators were trying to reach a ceasefire that would let in aid. More than a million people have fled their homes in the Gaza Strip ahead of an expected Israeli invasion that seeks to eliminate Hamas’ leadership after its deadly incursion. Aid groups warn an Israeli ground offensive could hasten a humanitarian crisis. Israeli forces, supported by US warships, positioned themselves along Gaza’s border and drilled for what Israel said would be a broad campaign to dismantle the militant group.
