704 Killed In Single Day, Gaza Health Ministry Says. Israel Asks Gazans To Reveal Info About Hostages — Updates

The Gaza Health Ministry reported at least 704 people, including 305 children, were killed in a single day. Netanyahu blamed Hamas, asserting that Israel is trying to keep "Palestinian civilians out of harm's way"

Israel conducted a series of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, targeting multiple residential buildings, which have resulted in hundreds of casualties. The Gaza Health Ministry, run by Hamas, reported that at least 704 people were killed in a single day, including 305 children and 173 women, news agency Associated Press reported. The closure of medical facilities due to bomb damage and power shortages is compounding the crisis. The death toll from Israel's bombardment represents an alarming escalation in the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israeli forces are poised to launch a ground offensive with tanks and artillery, raising concerns of even more casualties in Gaza. The 2.3 million people in Gaza are facing severe shortages of food, water, and medicine as Israel has sealed off the territory since a major attack by Hamas on October 7, AP reported.

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  The Israel Defense Forces informed that it dropped leaflets in Gaza on Tuesday, urging residents to reveal information about the hostages held by Hamas. 

  
  

  "If your will is to live in peace and to have a better future for your children, do the humanitarian deed immediately and share verified and valuable information about hostages being held in your area. The Israeli military assures you that it will invest maximum effort in providing security for you and your home, and you will receive a financial reward.  We guarantee you complete confidentiality," the IDF posted.
  
  

  
  


• Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the October 7 attacks carried out by Hamas "the worst terrorist attack the world has known since 9/11". "For Israel, proportionately, it was like twenty 9/11s. It was the worst act of antisemitic violence since the Holocaust...Like Anne Frank, Jewish children hid from these monsters, and they were found and butchered. Hamas butchered, beheaded, burned babies alive, raped and kidnapped hostages...We are doing everything we need to do to destroy Hamas in Gaza," he emphasised, as per news agency ANI.
  
  The Israeli Prime Minister stressed that the country's forces "will dismantle its terror machine." "We will dismantle its political structure. We will make every effort to release our hostages, and we'll make every effort to keep Palestinian civilians out of harm's way," he stressed.
  
  
  
  
  


• Netanyahu also said that the assault in the Gaza Strip "could be a long war". Calling Hamas the news "ISIS", he said that the group threatens the entire world, not just the Middle East.
  
  "Hamas is committing a double war crime. It's not only murdering our civilians, they are also hiding behind their own civilians. We ask the people of Gaza to leave to go to the safe zone in the south where we are enabling humanitarian aid to reach them. Hamas is putting checkpoints with people with guns to prevent Palestinians from leaving the war zone. Hamas is responsible for civilian casualties, but we will do every effort to avoid them, to fight this war speedily and as rapidly as we can but it could be a long war," he remarked.
  
  


• French President Emmanuel Macron expressed solidarity with Israel in its conflict with Hamas but called for a military operation with rules. He urged the resumption of the Palestinian peace process and advocated expanding the international coalition against the Islamic State (IS) to also combat Hamas after the October 7 attacks on Israel, news agency AFP reported. More On It: Macron Calls For ‘Decisive Relaunch’ Of Palestinian Peace Process After Meet With Netanyahu
  
  


• Antony Blinken urged UN Security Council member states to use their influence to prevent the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict. He specifically called on them to warn Iran that any involvement would have consequences.
  
  “What we've consistently said to Iranian officials through other channels: the United States does not seek conflict with Iran. We do not want this war to widen, but if Iran or its proxies attack US personnel anywhere, make no mistake — We will defend our people. We will defend our security swiftly and decisively," he said, as quoted by CNN.
  
  


• Israel Defense Forces' Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, stated that efforts will be made to provide fuel to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza but emphasised that fuel should not reach Hamas.
  
  "We will make sure there will be fuel in places where they need fuel to treat civilians. We will not allow the fuel for Hamas so they can continue fighting against the citizens of Israel," IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi stated in a live TV address Tuesday afternoon, as quoted by CNN.
  
  


• The conflict has also exacerbated the water crisis in Gaza. Residents are struggling to find clean water for their basic needs, with many describing the situation as "catastrophic." Gazans are having to travel long distances to obtain even minimal supplies of water.
  
  

  A resident named Mohammad Al Shanti told CNN that he is forced to travel nearly four miles to Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza to fill up plastic bottles with water which is only enough for his family’s most basic needs.

  
  

  “We don’t wash our clothes; we save every little drop,” he said, as per CNN, terming the water situation as “catastrophic.”

  
  

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