The Israel military pulverized the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip with airstrikes, prepared for a possible ground invasion and said Thursday its complete siege on the territory - which has left Palestinians desperate for food, fuel and medicine - would remain in place until Hamas militants freed some 150 hostages taken during a deadly weekend incursion.
A visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, along with shipments of U.S. weapons, were a powerful green light to Israel to drive ahead with its retaliation in Gaza after Hamas' grisly weekend attack, even as international aid groups warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis. Israel has halted deliveries of basic necessities and electricity to Gaza's 2.3 million people and prevented entry of supplies from Egypt.
As Israel pounds Gaza from the air, Hamas militants have fired thousands of rockets into Israel. Amid concerns that the fighting could spread in the region, Syrian state media reported that Israeli airstrikes on Thursday put two Syrian international airports out of service. The number of people who fled their homes reached 340,000 people by Wednesday night - roughly 15% of Gaza's population. Most crowded into U.N.-run schools while others are staying with relatives or even strangers.
“Without electricity, hospitals risk turning into morgues,” said Fabrizio Carboni, regional director of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Newborn incubators, kidney dialysis machines, X-rays, and more, are all dependent on power, he said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “crush” Hamas after the militants stormed into the country's south on Saturday and massacred hundreds of people, including killings of children in their homes and young people at a music festival. Netanyahu said Hamas' atrocities included beheading soldiers and raping women, descriptions that could not immediately be independently confirmed.
Blinken said he told Netanyahu “it's so important to take every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians.”
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