As Israel’s ground troops amass at the border with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, preparing for a probable escalation of the war ignited by Hamas’ brutal terror attack on southern Israel, the country hasn’t pulled back on its aerial assault on Gaza.
Missiles have rained down on the Palestinian territory since the Oct. 7 attack, where Hamas militants fired barrages of rockets and stormed into the Jewish state on a murderous rampage. The combined death toll on both sides of the war climbed to more than 3,600, rising precipitously in Gaza as the Israel Defense Forces hammered the region with missiles that it insists have all targeted Hamas.
Authorities in Gaza sounded the alarm Sunday that hospitals were running so low on fuel for generators and basic supplies, thousands could die. The U.N. said almost a million residents have been displaced since the war started, with many Palestinians scrambling to follow Israel’s warning to flee Gaza’s densely populated northern half.
But the only exit from Gaza, the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, remains closed. Some are taking shelter at U.N. schools. Hamas has told residents to remain in their homes.
Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv, sirens continued sounding more than a week after Hamas launched its surprise attack. Shell-shocked residents are awaiting what’s next.
On Sunday, Israel’s border with Lebanon was also on high alert as Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire, killing at least one person on the Israeli side of the Lebanese border.
Israel’s military said Hamas’ attack and ongoing rocket fire from Gaza had killed more than 1,300 people, at least 276 of them troops, and left at least 3,200 people wounded. At least 29 Americans are known to be among the dead, a State Department spokesperson confirmed Saturday. In Gaza, the Health Ministry said Sunday that the Israeli airstrikes had killed 2,329 people, including 724 children, and left 9,714 others wounded.
The Israeli military said Sunday that at least 126 people were taken captive by Hamas to Gaza. The State Department spokesperson said Saturday that 15 Americans remain unaccounted for, along with one U.S. permanent resident.
