Originally published October 9, 2023 12:15 pm PDT
Tensions continue to escalate in the Gaza Strip, where over 560 individuals have tragically lost their lives due to relentless airstrikes by the Israeli Air Force.
While there have been reports of several encounters with terrorists on Monday, an Israeli military spokesperson emphasized, “There are no terrorists crossing the fence from Gaza into Israel,” according to a report from The Times of Israel.
Gaza is a Palestinian-dominated territory that has witnessed multiple conflicts between Israel and Hamas and is situated on the eastern Mediterranean coast, bordered by Egypt to the southwest and Israel to the east and north.
This latest development, accompanied by the confirmed death toll exceeding 900 on the Israeli side, according to some estimates, paints a grim picture of the conflict.
The spokesperson further clarified the recent encounters in the area, stating, “Since this morning, there have been a few encounters with terrorists. There have been none at all in the last few hours.”
Indications suggest that Israel might be gearing up for a ground invasion, especially following their declaration of a full “siege” on Gaza.
Complicating the situation is the disturbing revelation that Hamas and its associated militants have in their custody at least 100 hostages, The New York Times putting the figure at “around 150.”
They have escalated their threats, with the spokesperson for Hamas’s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades issuing a chilling warning via Gaza’s Shehab news agency.
“From this moment on, we announce that any targeting of innocent civilians without warning will be met, regretfully to say, by executing one of the hostages in our custody. And we will be forced to broadcast this execution,” the spokesperson, known as Abu Obeida, announced.
Of grave concern is the fact that many of these hostages, including foreign nationals, are suspected to have been abducted during a music festival held near the Gaza border over the weekend.
This severe threat from Hamas comes in the backdrop of an Israeli defense official’s briefing to Knesset members, where it was highlighted that Israel had ceased its practice of dropping dummy bombs as warnings for civilians to evacuate targeted buildings.
New footage has surfaced showing the horrifying moment when Hamas militants stormed the event, opening fire on innocent civilians.
Israel ordered a “complete siege” on the Gaza Strip on Monday, halting deliveries of food, fuel, and supplies to the area’s 2.3 million inhabitants as it struck the Hamas-ruled territory with multiple waves of airstrikes in retaliation for the militants’ weekend attacks, according to The Associated Press.
