Israel increases Gaza airstrikes as US urges delaying invasion

The United States urged Israel to postpone an anticipated ground invasion so that more time could be given to negotiating the release of hostages captured by Hamas terrorists as Israel intensified its bombings in Gaza on Monday, where the death toll was swiftly climbing.

Under Israel’s two-week siege, Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been running short of food, water, and medicine. A third tiny aid convoy from Egypt has already reached Gaza. The United Nations warned that its ability to distribute aid would come to an immediate halt if it could no longer fuel its trucks because Israel continues to prevent the entry of fuel. Gaza hospitals struggle to keep generators running so that they can power incubators for premature newborns and life-saving medical equipment.

According to Palestinian officials and witnesses, intense airstrikes destroyed structures throughout Gaza, even in places where Palestinians were instructed to seek sanctuary, killing hundreds of people and adding more injured patients to hospitals that were already overflowing. After an attack in Gaza City, a woman sobbing with blood on her face held the hand of a deceased family member. Three bodies, including one in a murky stream of water, were strewn over the street.

Israel is likely to begin a ground offensive in Gaza, promising to demolish Hamas following its horrific October 7 attack on towns in southern Israel. Fears are growing that the conflict will go beyond Gaza and Israel because rebels supported by Iran in the area have issued warnings about potential escalation, including attacking American interests.

The United States has warned other groups, including the Hezbollah in Lebanon supported by Iran, to stay out of the conflict. Israel and Hezbollah, which is armed with tens of thousands of rockets, have repeatedly exchanged gunfire. In recent days, Israeli aeroplanes have attacked sites in the occupied West Bank, Syria, and Lebanon.

According to a U.S. official, the U.S. informed Israeli authorities that delaying a ground offensive would give Washington more time to coordinate with regional mediators on securing the release of individuals held by Hamas during its murderous incursion.

The individual said it was uncertain how much the argument will “move the needle” on Israeli thinking and asked for anonymity to discuss the private deliberations. An American mother and her adolescent daughter were liberated by Hamas last week in what it said was a humanitarian gesture mediated by Qatar.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told troops near Gaza to keep preparing for an offensive “because it will come.” He said it will be a combined offensive from air, land and sea but did not give a timeframe.

Tanks and soldiers have gathered near the Gaza border, and Israel claims to have intensified airstrikes to lessen the danger to soldiers in the coming stages. Of the five conflicts Israel and Hamas have fought in less than 15 years, this one is already by far the bloodiest. A ground invasion is certain to significantly increase the number of victims.

More than 1,400 people have died in Israel, the majority of them were civilians killed in the original Hamas strike. The military announced Monday that at least 222 people, including foreigners, had been apprehended and taken back to Gaza.

The Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, reported on Monday that more than 5,000 Palestinians had been murdered, including over 2,000 children and about 1,100 women. Included in that is the disputed death toll from an explosion. The toll has climbed rapidly in recent days, with the ministry reporting 436 additional deaths in just the last 24 hours.

Israel claimed it had attacked 320 militant sites in Gaza over the previous 24 hours in order to prepare ready for “a manoeuvre,” which is likely code for a ground assault. The military asserts that it does not target civilians and that since the start of the conflict, Palestinian insurgents have launched over 7,000 rockets at Israel.

The Israeli military published video purportedly documenting attacks on Hamas infrastructure. Multi-story structures fell or toppled over, followed by explosions that were preceded by yellow light flashes.

Israel made sporadic ground incursions into Gaza. On Sunday, Hamas claimed to have destroyed two armoured bulldozers and an Israeli tank inside the region it has occupied since 2007. According to the Israeli military, one soldier perished and three others were injured by an anti-tank missile during a raid inside Gaza.

According to the military, the raid was a component of efforts to free captives. Hamas wants to exchange the inmates for Palestinians held as prisoners by Israel.

The sole entry point into Gaza that is not under Israeli control is through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, where 20 trucks carrying food, water, medicine, and medical supplies arrived on Monday, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. The third delivery in as many days, all of around the same size, was this one.

According to Thomas White, the Gaza head of UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, the relief that has arrived thus far is “a drop in the ocean” in comparison to the needs of the people. According to the U.N., 20 trucks represent 4% of the average day’s imports before to the war, and hundreds of trucks a day are needed.

According to White, the agency’s truck fuel supply was only good for three days. In order to get the supplies to hospitals and U.N. schools, where hundreds of thousands of people are finding shelter, running low on food, and primarily consuming contaminated water, they are unloaded onto UNRWA and Red Crescent vehicles.

A residential block in Rafah was struck by an airstrike on Monday, around 200 yards from the U.N. headquarters, which highlights the dangers faced by humanitarian efforts and results in multiple fatalities and injuries.

The Abou Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah has recorded 61 fatalities since Monday morning following a day of intensive strikes, according to a hospital spokesperson. More over half of the dead were lying in the mortuary, which was completely full.

The population of the region has decreased by more than half, and hundreds of thousands are taking refuge in tent camps and schools administered by the United Nations.

According to the World Health Organisation, seven hospitals in northern Gaza had to close because of strike damage, a lack of supplies and power, or Israeli evacuation orders.

Israel reiterated its requests for residents of northern Gaza to leave, including through the aerial distribution of leaflets. 700,000 are thought to have already left. But there are still tens of thousands. That would make any ground offensive more likely to result in significant civilian losses.

(With agency inputs)