The Israeli military has claimed responsibility for an airstrike targeting Murad Abu Murad, a senior Hamas military commander allegedly responsible for the group’s aerial operations in Gaza City. The Israeli military stated that the attack targeted an operational center of Hamas responsible for its “aerial activity.” Hamas has not confirmed the reported killing.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has resulted in a significant loss of life, with at least 1,900 people, including 614 children, killed, and 7,696 people wounded in seven days of airstrikes, according to the Gaza health ministry.
In response to the violence, thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have fled to southern areas, prompted by Israel’s warning to evacuate the north in anticipation of a ground offensive against Hamas. The United Nations has stated that the Israeli military warned over 1.1 million people in the north of Gaza to evacuate to the south “within the next 24 hours.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the intense bombardment was “just the beginning” of Israel’s retaliation against Hamas. Israel has claimed to have conducted “localised” raids into Gaza to eliminate terrorists and weaponry. Meanwhile, Hamas has taken hostages, including Israeli, foreign, and dual national individuals, with 13 of them reportedly killed in Israeli airstrikes.
US President Joe Biden has emphasized that addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is a “priority.” Amid the escalating situation, a Reuters video journalist was killed, and several reporters from AFP, Reuters, and Al Jazeera were injured in southern Lebanon due to cross-border shelling. In the occupied West Bank, at least 16 Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli forces during protests in support of Gaza.
The UN has called the displacement of nearly half of Gaza’s 2.4 million population “impossible” and called for the evacuation orders to be withdrawn. The conflict continues to escalate, with concerns of a potential second front in the north as Hezbollah in Lebanon has expressed readiness to join the conflict.
Israeli forces also claimed to have “struck a Hezbollah terror target in southern Lebanon” in retaliation for a drone crossing the border. US President Biden warned other regional powers not to get involved and emphasized his support for Israel while addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as a priority.
