(LibertyInsider.org) — On October 10, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a “complete siege” on the Gaza Strip in response to a series of deadly incursions by Hamas militants. The new guidelines significantly expand a previously imposed 16-year blockade on the area, now fully restricting its access to essential resources like medicine, electricity, water, food, and fuel.
🚨BREAKING: Israeli Defense Minister: “No food, No electricity, No fuel, No water. We’re fighting human animals and we act accordingly." pic.twitter.com/SZ1uk1AZ5q
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 9, 2023
Gallant’s announcement followed the most deadly assault on Israel in recent decades. Hamas militants launched a multipronged attack across several fronts during the early morning hours of October 7, firing thousands of rockets into Israel and clashing with locals in 22 locations.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement from Tel Aviv the same day, clarifying that Israel was “at war” with Hamas and mobilizing around 300,000 reservists. But by that point, Israel had already begun launching retaliatory airstrikes at a variety of locations across the Gaza Strip.
Sources within Palestine report that the warplanes targeted mosques, a marketplace, homes, and healthcare facilities, further degrading the already fragile infrastructure of over 2 million residents.
On October 10, Abu Ubaida, a spokesperson for Hamas, told local news outlets that the militant group had captured at least 150 hostages. He warned that it would begin executing them one by one unless Israel immediately ceased its retaliatory attacks.
The escalating violence is reigniting concerns about the growing humanitarian crisis unfolding in Palestine. The territory’s lone power plant exhausted its fuel supply on October 11, and with UN food distribution centers now closed, up to 80% of the population is at risk of starvation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did issue a second statement to Gazans on October 7, warning them to leave the area as Israel fully intended to “operate everywhere and with full force.” However, many locals and aid agencies have questioned the feasibility of that request, pointing out that Palestinians living in the area have nowhere else to go.
According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the intense fighting has already displaced almost 190,000 people residing in the Gaza Strip. Local hospitals, which were already operating on a fraction of the resources necessary to treat patients, remain overwhelmed by the influx of casualties.
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