Israel increased airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and sealed it off from food, fuel, and other supplies in retaliation for a bloody incursion by Hamas militants, as the war’s death toll rose to nearly 1,600 on both sides.
US top general says Iran ‘not to get involved’. General Charles Q Brown, Junior, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has told reporters that his message to Iran is “not to get involved”, Reuters reports. Brown was appointed in September as the US’s highest-ranking military officer.
Palestine’s health ministry has released a statement claiming Israeli defence forces “targeted” ambulances in southern Gaza. Four ambulances have been “put out of service” the ministry claims:
Hamas also escalated on Monday, pledging to kill captured Israelis if attacks targeted civilians without warnings. In the war’s third day, Israel was still finding bodies from Hamas’ stunning weekend attack into southern Israeli towns. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to destroy the militants’ “military and governing capabilities.”
The Palestinian death toll has risen to more than 680 killed in Israeli counterattack strikes, the Gaza health ministry reported.
The Israeli death toll stands at more than 900, according to authorities.
WHO cites 11 attacks on health care facilities in Gaza. The World Health Organisation said that a 16-year-blockade of Gaza had already left its medical system under-resourced, and the increased hostilities are “compounding an already dire situation.” The UN health agency reported Monday a total of 11 attacks on health care — which included medical facilities, ambulances and care providers — in the first 36 hours of the new conflict in Gaza.
In Gaza, tens of thousands fled their homes as relentless airstrikes leveled buildings. Israeli tanks and drones were deployed to guard breaches in the Gaza border fence to prevent new incursions. Thousands of Israelis were evacuated from more than a dozen towns near Gaza, and the military summoned 300,000 reservists – a massive mobilisation in a short time.
The Israeli military said it had largely gained control in the south. Hamas and other militants in Gaza say they are holding more than 130 soldiers and civilians snatched from inside Israel.
US President Joe Biden issued a statement announcing that at least 11 American citizens have been killed in the Hamas attacks on southern Israel and the White House believes “it is likely” that American citizens are among those being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Biden also released a joint statement with the leaders of Germany, Britain, France and Italy on Monday condemning the attacks on Israel by Hamas and expressed their “steadfast and united support” for Israel. The statement said, “Over the coming days, we will remain united and coordinated, together as allies, and as common friends of Israel, to ensure Israel is able to defend itself, and to ultimately set the conditions for a peaceful and integrated Middle East region”.
