The Israeli military says it is preparing for a possible ground operation in the besieged Gaza but that the political leadership has not yet decided on one.
Lt. Col. Richard Hecht told reporters on Thursday that forces “are preparing for a ground manoeuvre if decided.”
Israel has called up some 360,000 army reservists and has threated an unprecedented response to Hamas’ unprecedented incursion over the weekend.
It has been launching intense airstrikes and declared a total siege of Gaza since the attack by Hamas on Saturday.
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0557 GMT — Malaysian aid for Palestine
Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir slammed Israel’s “outrageous acts of cruelty” in cutting off food, water and fuel to Gaza and said Malaysia will provide 1 million ringgit ($212,000) as an emergency fund to help Palestinians.
A strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, Malaysia has blamed the crisis on the oppression and injustice against the Palestinian people.
0522 GMT — More than 338,000 flee homes
More than 338,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in besieged Gaza, the United Nations said, as heavy Israeli bombardments continue to hit the Palestinian enclave.
The number of displaced in the densely populated territory of 2.3 million people had by late Wednesday “risen by an additional 75,000 people and reached 338,934,” the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in a statement sent on Thursday.
0215 GMT — Gaza death toll climbs to 1,200, with 5000 others wounded
Gaza’s Health Ministry has announced that the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks has climbed to around 1,200, with nearly 5,000 wounded.
Deputy Health Minister Yusuf Abu al-Reesh visited Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza to assess the state of health services.
Speaking at a press conference after the inspection, he said “the number of martyrs has approached 1,200 and there are approximately 5,000 injured.” He noted that most of the dead and wounded are women, children and the elderly.
In a previous statement, the Health Ministry said Gaza’s hospitals were operating at full capacity due to the increasing Israeli attacks.
Health Ministry spokesperson Esref al-Kudra said that due to overcrowding, patients and the wounded were being accommodated on the floors of hospitals and receiving treatment in this manner.
Al-Kudra warned that Israel continues to cut off electricity, water and fuel, which poses a “significant danger,” and “a severe environmental and health catastrophe could occur,” emphasising that the responsibility for this lies with the Israeli occupation.
0151 GMT — US asking countries to use influence on Hamas, Iran
The United States is encouraging its international partners to use their influence with Hamas and its supporters in Iran to get the Palestinian fighters to stand down amid the fight with Israel, a senior official said.
The comments came on Thursday as Secretary of State Antony Blinken was heading to Israel for a visit of solidarity before stops in Jordan and likely other countries in the region.
“Frankly, we’re asking all of our partners to engage with Hamas, Hezbollah or Iran — with any of that trifecta — with whom they have any channels or relations or what have you, to get Hamas to stand down from its attacks, to release those hostages, and to keep Hezbollah out, and to keep Iran out of the fray,” the official said on a refuelling stop in Ireland.
Another US official confirmed that Blinken would visit other countries in the region after the announced trips to Israel and Jordan but did not say which ones.
Blinken and other US officials say that Hamas survives on Iranian support but that there is no evidence that Tehran directed the attacks on Israel.
0100 GMT — Dozens of Israelis in critical condition
Israel’s Health Ministry has announced that 3,268 wounded Israelis have been evacuated to hospitals since the start of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper cited a statement from the ministry indicating that 443 Israelis remain hospitalised, 105 of them in critical condition.
According to the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (KAN), the number of Israelis killed so far in the conflict totals 1,200 and the number of injured has reached 2,900.
0030 GMT — New casualties as Israeli bombs rain on Gaza
At least seven people, including women and children, have been killed and wounded in incessant Israeli bombing in Khan Younis south of besieged Gaza, according to Anadolu Agency correspondent.
The number of victims is likely to rise as rescue teams are still unable to pull out all bodies or wounded from the rubble, the news agency said, citing sources.
The fresh casualties came as the Israeli military continues to pound Gaza ahead of a possible ground invasion in the Palestinian coastal enclave.
Most of the 2.3 million people in the Gaza have no electricity and no water.
And, with hundreds of Israeli strikes raining down on their tiny enclave, blockaded from land, air and sea by Israel since 2007, they have nowhere to run.
Source : TRT WORLD
