Israel-Hamas war: Israel on Tuesday escalated airstrikes across the Gaza Strip amid growing concerns about the lives of hostages held captive by the Hamas terrorists since the October 7 attacks on towns in southern Israel. The fresh round of airstrikes crushed families in the rubble of residential buildings, said witness. According to media reports over 700 people were killed in 24 hours in Gaza. The health officials in Gaza said hundreds of Palestinians were killed in the past day and medical facilities were shut down due to lack of power.
The Israeli military said it thwarted an assault by a group of Hamas underwater divers who tried to infiltrate Israel on a beach just north of Gaza.
Decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict took the deadliest turn after the October 7 attacks by Hamas militants in which hundreds of civilians were killed in Israel. The death count is increasing with every passing day as Israel Defence Forces intensified attack amid rising support from the West.
Ground offensive looms
Gaza is facing a greater threat as Israeli forces backed by tanks and artillery are ready to launch an expected ground offensive aimed at crushing Hamas militants.
Humanitarian crisis grows in Gaza
Gaza's 2.3 million people have been running out of food, water and medicine since Israel sealed off the territory following the devastating October 7 attacks. At least 704 people in airstrikes over the past day, mostly women and children, said the Gaza Health Ministry which is run by Hamas. However, the death tolls cited by Hamas could not be independently verified.
US developing contingency plans to evacuate Americans
Meanwhile, the White House said Tuesday that “prudent contingency planning” is underway to evacuate Americans from the Middle East in case the Israel-Hamas war spreads into a broad regional conflict.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stressed there are currently no “active efforts” to evacuate Americans from the region beyond charter flights the US government began operating earlier this month out of Israel.
India's stand at the UN on Israel-Hamas war
India's Ambassador R Ravindra, DPR at the UN Security Council said India was deeply concerned about the deteriorating security situation and large-scale loss of civilian lives in the ongoing conflict.
"The October 7th terror attacks in Israel were shocking and we condemn them unequivocally. Our PM was one of the first global leaders to have conveyed his condolences for the loss of lives and prayers for the innocent victims and their families. We stood in solidarity with Israel at their moment of crisis. We also continue to support the Palestinian people through our bilateral development partnership, which covers a wide range of sectors including health, education, women's empowerment, entrepreneurship and information technology. In these challenging times, India will continue to send humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine. Every effort must be made to create conducive conditions for the resumption of these talks.
Israeli's stern message to the UN
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told the UN Security Council that the proportionate response to the October 7 attack is “a total destruction to the last one” of the militants. “It is not only Israel's right to destroy Hamas. It's our duty,” he said.
Macron holds ‘private meeting’ with Netanyahu
Amid the unprecedented war between Israel and Hamas, French President Macron landed in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. According to the latest development, he has held a 'private meeting' with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem and condemned the killings of innocent people since the war escalated between the two nations.
(With AP inputs)
