The latest Israel-Hamas war entered its eighth day on 14 October at least 3,200 have died on both sides since Hamas terrorists launched an unprecedented surprise attack on 7 October. Israeli casualties have surpassed 1,300 while more than 1,900 Palestinians have been reportedly killed in Gaza.
Israel’s military has ordered its citizens to evacuate the northern Gaza Strip to the south and Israel appeared to be preparing a ground offensive while the terror outfit urged residents to stay put. According to the United Nations humanitarian organisation’s OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), tens of thousands of civilians moved southward in Gaza after the Jewish state issued a 24-hour evacuation order for the northern parts of the territory. The latest information has put the number at 400,000.
The Israeli military announced on 13 October that it was conducting brief raids in Gaza to target terrorists, however, it clarified that this did not indicate the start of a ground invasion. Over 70 individuals died, per the propaganda office of Hamas, when aeroplanes attacked trucks travelling south.
Many protests ensued throughout the Middle East, particularly in Jordan and Bahrain, which attracted large crowds to show their support. The Palestinian representative to the United Nations appealed to Secretary-General António Guterres to act swiftly amid this crisis and described the ongoing events as a “crime against humanity.”
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the president of Egypt, emphasised the significance of the Palestinian people’s unwavering presence in their homeland as neighbouring Arab states rejected the request for safe passage for Palestinians from Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the creation of protected zones in Gaza to ease the relocation of civilians. Meanwhile, the first charter flight coordinated by the US State Department to transport Americans out of Israel landed in Athens on 13 October.
President Joe Biden stressed the importance of resolving the humanitarian crisis in Gaza while reiterating his commitment to ensuring the safe release of any Americans taken hostage by Hamas. The Israeli military remained on high alert in anticipation of a possible escalation in the West Bank and was stated to have struck a Hezbollah target in southern Lebanon in reaction to the entry of unidentified aircraft objects into its territory.
Notably, a number of US financial institutions and technology corporations have addressed the Israel-Hamas conflict and some have even started fund-raising campaigns for Israeli casualties.
