ISRAELI fighter jets struck 450 Hamas targets in Gaza and troops seized a militant compound in the past 24 hours, the Israel Defense Forces said on Monday, while the Palestinian enclave’s health ministry said the air strikes killed dozens of people.
A Reuters journalist in the Gaza Strip described the overnight bombardment from the air, ground and sea as one of the most intense since Israel launched its offensive in response to a surprise attack by Hamas on southern Israel a month ago.
Health officials in Hamas-controlled Gaza said more than 9,770 Palestinians have been killed in the war, which began when Hamas killed 1,400 people and seized more than 240 hostages on Oct. 7.
Refusing to countenance a ceasefire until the hostages are released, Israel faced sustained pressure to avoid civilian casualties in its assault on Gaza, while a U.S. diplomatic blitz in the region seeks to reduce risks of the conflict escalating.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to meet Turkey’s foreign minister in Ankara, hours after hundreds of people at a pro-Palestinian protest tried to storm an air base that houses U.S. troops in southern Turkey.
Blinken on Sunday made an unannounced visit to the West Bank to meet Palestinian Author[1]ity President Mahmoud Abbas, who joined international calls for an immediate ceasefire. Blinken repeated U.S. concerns that a ceasefire could aid Hamas, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled one out for now.
“There will be no ceasefire without the return of the hostages,” Netanyahu said. Palestinian news agency WAFA had reported “unprecedented bombardment” from Israel, while telecoms provider Paltel reported another cutoff of communications and internet services. Gaza’s health ministry said dozens of people were killed by the Israeli air strikes in Gaza City, and further south in Gaza neighbourhoods like Zawaida and Deir AlBalah.
The IDF said its strikes hit “tunnels, terrorists, military com[1]pounds, observation posts, and anti-tank missile launch posts”. Ground troops killed several Hmas fighters while taking a militant compound with observation posts, training areas for Hamas operatives and underground terror tunnels, it said. — Reuters
