Hamas claims 700 Palestinians killed overnight as Israel intensifies Gaza bombing

Gaza’s health ministry reported on Tuesday that Israeli airstrikes overnight claimed the lives of more than 700 Palestinians, marking the biggest 24-hour death toll since Israel started a bombing campaign against Hamas militants after their lethal Oct. 7 onslaught rocked the nation.

Israel claimed to have killed dozens of Hamas fighters in nighttime attacks on the beleaguered enclave, but added that it would take time to completely defeat the Islamist organisation.

French President Emmanuel Macron came to Israel to offer support as aid organisations warned that a humanitarian disaster was developing in Gaza.

In addition to stating that France stands “shoulder to shoulder” with Israel in its conflict with Hamas, he also warned the Israeli leader against engaging in combat “without rules”.

The UN pleaded with Israel to permit more aid into Gaza, claiming that the aid that has already been permitted only partially satisfied the needs of the embattled population. Fuel was essential yet still restricted.

“We are on our knees asking for that sustained, scaled up, protected humanitarian operation,” said Dr Rick Brennan, WHO Regional Emergencies Director.

According to U.N. organisations, there is no guarantee that the people in need will be reached safely by assistance workers. But with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at its bloodiest in decades, there didn’t seem to be much hope for a ceasefire anytime soon.

According to the health ministry in Gaza, 2,360 children were among the 5,791 Palestinians who have died in attacks on the Hamas-ruled territory since October 7. It reported that in just the preceding 24 hours, 704 people had died.

It was the highest number of fatalities in a single day throughout the two weeks of Israeli strikes, according to ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra.

The bombardments were unleashed in response to a Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7 in which militants killed more than 1,400 people – mostly civilians – in a single day.

Hamas on Monday freed two Israeli women who were among the more than 200 hostages taken during the assault. They were the third and fourth hostages to be released.

Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, said she was beaten by militants as she was seized and had difficulty breathing. “I’ve been through hell,” she said.

Israel has massed tanks and troops at the border between Israel and the enclave, ready for orders to launch the anticipated ground invasion, which will be complicated by worries about the hostages.

The Israeli military claimed to have killed dozens of Hamas fighters, including three deputy leaders, after hitting more than 400 militant sites in Gaza overnight.

It said that mosque command centres and a tunnel that allowed Hamas to enter Israel from the sea were among the targets.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israeli military, stated that the IDF was “ready and determined” for the next phase of the conflict and was awaiting political orders.

But it’s unclear when Israel would start a full-scale invasion. The most powerful force in the Middle East is engaged in combat with a group that has amassed a potent arsenal with Iran’s assistance while utilising a large network of underground tunnels.

Over a million Gaza inhabitants were forced to seek cover elsewhere in the territory after large portions of the territory were demolished by Israeli airstrikes, with structures left to heaps of debris and twisted metal. There is an urgent need for more food, clean water, medicine, and fuel.

Residents reported that numerous people were killed or hurt after an Israeli missile struck a petrol station in Khan Younis, where evacuees from the city’s eastern side gathered to charge their electronics and fill up on water.

According to the spokesman for the health ministry, more than 40 medical facilities ceased operations when they ran out of fuel or suffered damage from Israeli bombing.

Foreign governments have expressed concern that the battle may spark a Middle East-wide conflagration. Already, there have been conflicts along the Israel-Lebanon border and in the West Bank, where Israel occupies.

Concerns for a regional flare-up have centred on Iran’s network of proxies in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. Any larger conflagration puts U.S. interests and security in a region vital to the world’s energy supply at danger.

The emir in charge of Qatar, which has attempted to negotiate between Israel and Hamas, pleaded with the world to restrain Israel in its conflict with Hamas.

“We say enough. Israel shouldn’t be granted an unconditional green light and unrestricted authorisation to kill,” Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said in a speech to Gulf state’s Shura council.

Support for Israel came from France’s Macron, who was meeting with Netanyahu and other officials in Jerusalem. He said France would not leave Israel isolated in its fight against Hamas but warned against the risks of a regional conflict.

Speaking alongside him, Netanyahu said that after the conflict no one would live “under Hamas tyranny” but warned the war would take time.

“We are linked to Israel through mourning,” Macron said earlier on social media, saying that 30 French people were killed in the Oct. 7 attacks and nine were still missing or held hostage.

(With agency inputs)