Israel has intensified its military raids on the Gaza Strip for the third consecutive day, responding to attacks launched by the militant group Hamas. The ongoing violence has resulted in hundreds of casualties, including children and women, and has prompted urgent calls for humanitarian assistance in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Reports from Al Arabiya and Al Hadath sources confirm that Israeli military aircraft carried out airstrikes targeting two mosques in Gaza during the early hours of Monday. These airstrikes represent the continuation of a sustained campaign against Hamas militants in response to their recent attacks.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reports that more than 450 people, including civilians, have lost their lives in the Israeli attacks, with an additional 2,400 individuals sustaining injuries. As the humanitarian situation deteriorates rapidly, there are urgent appeals for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor to deliver much-needed aid to the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military asserts that its airstrikes and artillery shelling have targeted more than 500 locations associated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups in the Gaza Strip. This includes areas such as Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, the Bureij Camp, and neighborhoods like Zeitoun and Shuja’iyya, according to Al Arabiya.
Reports indicate that at least 18 people lost their lives as a result of an Israeli bombing in homes located in the Gazan city of Rafah. The toll on civilians underscores the devastating impact of the ongoing conflict.
In addition to the intensification of raids on Gaza, Israeli forces have continued to carry out incursions into several neighborhoods in the West Bank.
The United Nations reports that over 123,000 Gazans have been displaced due to the violence, highlighting the scale of the humanitarian crisis triggered by the Israeli military’s operations. Retaliatory Israeli airstrikes have destroyed 159 housing units across Gaza and severely damaged 1,210 others, as reported by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. A school serving as a shelter for more than 225 people has also been hit.
Israeli media outlets, citing rescue service officials, have reported that at least 700 people, including 44 soldiers, have been killed in Israel, and approximately 2,000 individuals have been wounded on each side. Israeli security forces have claimed the deaths of 400 militants and the capture of dozens more.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed “mighty vengeance” on the Gaza Strip in response to the Hamas attacks and formally declared a state of war. This declaration has authorized “significant military steps” in retaliation for the surprise attack.
The ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip and West Bank continues to escalate, with devastating consequences for civilians on both sides. The urgent need for humanitarian assistance and efforts to de-escalate the situation remain paramount. The international community is closely monitoring developments in the region as efforts to find a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict face renewed challenges.
