Updates on the 8th day of war as Israel prepares for ground invasion of Gaza
Israeli tank moves near the border with Gaza on October 14, 2023. Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images
Israel and Gaza entered an eighth day of war on Saturday as the Israel Defense Forces prepared for a massive incursion into Gaza, where the death toll has reached 2,215. Hamas killed more than 1,200 in its attack on Israel a week ago.
Here are updates from Ha’aretz, the Forward’s news partner in Israel.
Preparations for ground operation
The Israeli army said it was preparing for a “significant ground operation” as well as attacks by sea and air as part of a multi-pronged offensive. Israel Defense Forces said it was ready for the extensive campaign with “army battalions and soldiers deployed all over the country.”
Ahead of the planned incursion, the United NationsRelief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East called on Israel “to protect all civilians sheltering in UNRWA premises across the Gaza Strip, including those in northern Gaza and Gaza City,” after Israel urged some 1 million residents to move to the southern Gaza within 24 hours.
The U.S. encouraged citizens in Gaza to move toward the border crossing with Egypt to be ready for a possible reopening, while Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh pledged that Palestinians would not leave, saying “The residents of Gaza are deeply rooted in its soil and will never leave it. We have only one way, which is the right to return to our lands all over Palestine.”
The head of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Gaza’s largest hospital, said 35,000 people were sheltering inside the hospital ahead of Israel’s expected ground operation.
In the north of Israel, residents of communities along the border were told to evacuate and seek shelter as some 30 mortar shells were fired at Israeli territory, some of which landed in Lebanon.
U.S. working with Israel, Mideast nations to address Gaza humanitarian crisis
The United States is working with Israel and Middle Eastern countries to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as Israel’s looming ground invasion threatens to exacerbate deteriorating conditions.
The American efforts come as the Palestinian death toll surpasses 2,000, with humanitarian organizations and international bodies sounding urgent warnings that the situation is approaching a point of no return and “a matter of life and death.”
The U.S. has continued to maintain diplomatic and tactical support for Israel as it continues its operations, but President Joe Biden has begun to acknowledge the humanitarian crisis. Israel cut electricity to Gaza and began blocking the entry of fuel and food following the Hamas attacks that killed 1,300 and saw over 100 taken hostage.
Israeli minister says Gaza Strip ‘must be smaller by the end of the war’
Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in an interview with Channel 12 News that the Gaza Strip “must be smaller at the end of the war.”
Sa’ar added that Israel is at war with Iran and that it must firstly destroy Hamas’ military capabilities. “They do have to pay the price of loss,” he said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that there’s no “direct evidence” that Iran is behind Hamas’ attack on Israel but also noted a longstanding “complicity” between the two.
“We must make the end of our campaign clear to everyone around us. Whoever starts a war against Israel must lose territory,” Sa’ar said.
IDF spokesperson: At least 279 soldiers killed since Hamas’ attack, more than 126 kidnapped
The Israel Defense Forces announced on Saturday evening that at least 279 soldiers have been killed since last Saturday’s surprise attack by Hamas, according to IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari.
Hamas claims kidnapped Israeli soldier died in IDF bombing
Hamas claims that one of the Israeli soldiers kidnapped last Saturday has died following Israeli airstrikes. According to Hamas, the soldier died in airstrikes last Monday, and his body was removed from the debris.
Direct hits from Gaza rockets in two Israeli cities
Rockets fired from Gaza hit two Israeli cities, Ashkelon and Bat Yam, Saturday, with no injuries reported.
UN relief chief: ‘I fear the worst is yet to come’
UN relief chief Martin Griffiths said “I fear the worst is yet to come,” calling the past week in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza “a test for humanity, and humanity is failing.”
“The parties’ actions and rhetoric over the past few days are extremely alarming and unacceptable,” Griffiths continued. “Even wars have rules, and these rules must be upheld, at all times, and by all sides.”
“All countries with influence must exert it to ensure respect for the rules of war and to avoid any further escalation and spillover,” he added.
Israeli education minister: Some areas will return to school next week
Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch said on Saturday that areas defined by the Home Front Command as having a low threat level “will be able to return to school next week in an ’emergency routine’ format.”
Disney pledges $2 million for relief in Israel
The Walt Disney Company announced that it would donate $2 million for humanitarian aid in Israel, while over 700 figures in the entertainment industry signed a letter condemning Hamas and demanding the hostages’ return.
Disney said it would divide the money equally between the Magen David Adom emergency services and other nonprofits, particularly those assisting children.
Canada confirms fourth death in Israel
Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly on Saturday confirmed a fourth Canadian death from last week’s attack by Hamas on Israel, and said she was striving to evacuate citizens from Gaza and the West Bank. The family of 22-year-old Shir Georgy, who went missing after Hamas militants attacked a music festival near Kibbutz Re’im last Saturday, confirmed her death on Instagram, the Canadian Broadcast Corp reported earlier.
“It is with great sadness and a broken heart that we announce the murder of our beloved Shir,” Georgy’s aunt Michal Bouganim said on Instagram.
Joly said that brings the death toll to four Canadians, with three still missing. She added that she is working on getting Canadians out of Gaza through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, and out of the West Bank by bus into Jordan.
“Canada has an agreement with Israel to get Canadians out of Gaza,” Joly told reporters in a phone call from Jordan. “Things are very volatile, obviously, in Gaza, where it is one of the worst places on earth right now to be living in.”
Blinken meets with UAE leaders
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met today with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi to discuss the terrorist attacks on Israel, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Saturday. Blinken “expressed appreciation for the UAE’s clear condemnation of Hamas’ heinous attacks on Israeli civilians and continued diplomatic engagement to prevent the spread of conflict.
“The Secretary and Sheikh Mohammed also discussed our shared commitment to building a more integrated, secure, and prosperous region, and reaffirmed the importance of the strategic partnership between the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
Blinken on Saturday also visited the recently opened Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, which hosts a church, mosque and synagogue. Blinken praised the site as “an exemplary model for active exchange between faiths and a true testament to the UAE’s commitment to peaceful coexistence among the Abrahamic faiths,” adding “this is what the future of the region should look like.”
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