Hamas's Attack on Israel: EU calls for Humanitarian Pause, as Israel Mounts Ground Raid
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GAZA — A coordinated surprise attack by Hamas, the terrorist organization in control of the Gaza Strip, on the 7th of October, a Jewish holiday, has escalated the Israel–Palestine conflict to historic proportions. Hamas fired over 3000 rockets and breached the Gaza–Israel barrier, killing over 1400 innocent civilians and kidnapping over 224 Israelis near the border. Israel retaliated with a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and airstrikes on operational targets within the densely populated northern Gaza and asked civilians to evacuate northern Gaza before an expected full ground invasion.
The IDF conducted a second limited ground raid inside northern Gaza on Thursday night, in “preparation for the next stages of combat,” according to IDF. Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, said that a full ground incursion would be launched soon.
Leaders of the 27 EU member states unanimously called for humanitarian corridors and pauses, to allow food, water and medical supplies into Gaza. The UN General Assembly convened an emergency meeting on Thursday, to discuss a humanitarian ceasefire amid continuing deadlock in the Security Council. The General Assembly is expected to vote on a draft resolution by Jordan, calling for a ceasefire and aid corridors.
“Gaza is on the brink of a massive health hazard," said UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini, adding that “Basic services are crumbling, medicine is running out, food and water are running out, and the streets of Gaza have started overflowing with sewage.” Israel has denied allowing fuel into Gaza, claiming that Hamas had stolen fuel from the UN for military purposes, although UNRWA denies it. As of Thursday, 74 humanitarian aid trucks have entered Gaza since last Saturday, which is far short of the 100 trucks a day that the UN said is needed.
Gaza's health ministry claimed over 7,300 Palestinians to have been killed in the conflict since the 7th of October, a number that has not been independently verified. President Biden said he has "no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using." The Hamas-controlled health ministry also claimed last week that an Israeli airstrike at the Al Ahli Hospital killed 500 civilians, while it was later refuted by the IDF and BBC Verify that the cause of the blast was a misfired rocket by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
Fears of the conflict escalating beyond national borders rise, as powerful world nations entangle into the conflict. The Iran-backed militant group, Hezbollah has been supporting Hamas's attack on Israel from the southern border of Lebanon; A senior Hamas delegation has travelled to Moscow to meet Russian foreign ministry officials; US fighter jets struck Iran-linked sites in Syria in retaliation for attacks on US troops; and Iran warned the US at the UNGA to "not be spared from this fire," if war in Gaza continues.
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