Israel flushing out tunnel-boring Hamas
Anger has flared in much of the Muslim world and beyond, with pro-Palestinian protesters burning Israeli and American flags
Daily TribuneAnger has flared in much of the Muslim world and beyond, with pro-Palestinian protesters burning Israeli and American flags
Israeli army Puma armored personnel carriers move near the Gaza border in Israel on 14 October. The events that unfolded since 7 October led to a devastating loss of lives, impacting both Israeli and Palestinian communities. | Aris MESSINIS/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Israeli soldiers prepared for a ground invasion of Gaza on Sunday with an avowed goal to eradicate Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist terrorist group that carried out the country's worst strike in its history.
In the eight days since Hamas gunmen massacred over 1,300 Israelis, Israel has reacted with a catastrophic bombing campaign in Gaza that has claimed over 2,300 lives.
Entire Gaza city blocks are in rubble, and hospitals in the besieged enclave are overflowing with thousands of wounded, but there are concerns about more destruction.
Grieving and enraged, Israel has massed forces outside the long-blockaded enclave of 2.4 million people in preparation for what the army has described as a land, air, and sea strike, including a "significant ground operation."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, dressed in a flak jacket, visited front-line troops on Saturday. "Are you ready for what is coming?" he said. "More is coming."
According to the army, special troops have made incursions into Gaza and recovered the bodies of some of the up to 150 hostages presumed to have been seized by Hamas. Israel claims to have identified 120 detainees, while Hamas claims 22 have died due to Israeli air attacks.
A land invasion might result in the same grueling house-to-house battle that wrecked Iraq's Mosul and Fallujah in the past, made much more problematic by Hamas' massive tunnel network.
Israel has warned 1.1 million Palestinian people in northern Gaza to flee, and a continuous trickle of families in overcrowded cars, trucks, and donkey carts has already made their way south.
Israel has accused Hamas of obstructing their escape to use them as "human shields."
Catastrophic
The alarm has grown about a broader humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Israel has cut off water, food, and power, vowing to maintain the complete siege until all hostages are freed.
Fear and chaos reigned in the 40-kilometer (25-mile) long strip, one of the world's most densely populated areas, with no place for large numbers of internally displaced people to flee.
"The situation is catastrophic," said Jumaa Nasser, who traveled from Beit Lahia in northern Gaza with his wife, mother, and seven children. "We've had no food or sleep. We don't know what to do. I've given my fate up to God."
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi charged that Israel's actions in Gaza have gone "beyond the scope of self-defense" and said it must "cease its collective punishment of the people of Gaza."
Egypt to the south controls the only other crossing with Gaza but has so far refused to open it for Palestinian or foreign refugees unless aid convoys are allowed to enter, according to unnamed intelligence sources cited in media reports.
