Israel conducted airstrikes across Gaza overnight and into Wednesday while retaliatory bombardment continued to level neighbourhoods in the crowded coastal territory, which according to Gaza’s health ministry has killed more than 900 people and injured 4,600. The attack against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “has only started.”
The Washington embassy of Israel said on Tuesday that more than 1,200 people have died as a result of the weekend Hamas strikes. Most of the casualties were civilians who were shot dead in their houses, on the streets, or while dancing outside.
Tuesday’s fresh gunfire exchanges between extremists in Lebanon and Syria and Israel’s northern borders indicated the possibility of a regional crisis spreading.
However, as Tuesday’s evening approached, there was no sign that the Hamas terrorists who were holding Israeli troops and civilians hostage had carried out their vow to execute one captive for every home in Gaza that was attacked.
Authorities from both sides estimate that at least 1,900 people have already been killed in the conflict, and several nations have volunteered to assist in mediating a resolution. The death toll was anticipated to rise as a result of Israel bombarding the Gaza Strip with airstrikes and forcing Palestinians to seek refuge in UN shelters.