Tuesday night saw a constant barrage of bombs hitting Gaza City. This was a big step up in the battle as Israel’s war on the Palestinian territory nears its third year. The new strikes come after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent trip to Jerusalem, when he strongly backed Israel’s military approach against Hamas.
Eyewitnesses in Gaza City told media that homes were destroyed and people were trapped under the rubble. The airstrikes, which started the day after Rubio met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday, are part of a larger attack that has people scared for their lives.
Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the Gaza civil defense, said that the situation was really bad. He told media, “Bombing is still going on heavily across Gaza City, and the number of deaths and injuries is still rising.” This shows how bad the humanitarian crisis is getting on the ground.
Israeli officials told media that the IDF had initiated a ground offensive on Monday with the clear purpose of “occupying Gaza City.” This is a big change. These authorities said that this plan is meant to progressively get rid of Hamas from the Palestinian strip.
There have already been a lot of deaths because of the military attack. Local health officials said that at least 16 Palestinians died when two homes and a tent housing a family of displaced people were hit. Israeli troops said that one attack also damaged a 16-story building on the west side of the city that was being used to hide “terrorist infrastructure.” The attack happened barely a few hours after family who had been forced to leave were told to leave.
As the military campaign goes on, diplomatic talks are happening in Jerusalem and Doha, but they don’t seem to be having much of an effect on the ground. During his visit, Secretary Rubio strongly supported Israel’s efforts. He said that the US should be ready for the prospect that a peaceful settlement may not be possible, even though diplomatic solutions will be looked into.
Rubio called Hamas “savage terrorists” and added, “As much as we may wish there were a peaceful, diplomatic way to end it, and we’ll keep looking for one and be dedicated to it, we also have to be ready for the possibility that that’s not going to happen.” He said that Hamas must “cease to exist as an armed group that can threaten peace and security.”
Rubio also asked Qatar to keep playing its important role as a mediator in the crisis. This role was recently hampered by Israel’s latest strikes on Gaza, which made it harder for Israel and Hamas to reach a truce. Palestinian media reports say that the ground offensive is well started, with Israeli tanks pushing into Gaza City after a series of catastrophic airstrikes.