Clashes erupt with Hamas as Israeli forces push deeper into Gaza Strip
Sandeep Dikshit
New Delhi, October 30
Fighting between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters intensified on Monday, three days after the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) began a major ground offensive in the Gaza Strip amid worldwide calls to protect civilians. The Israeli assault is being bolstered by the steady flow of arms and ammunition with 50 US military transport planes flying into West Asia within 24 hours.
Israel’s military claimed to have struck over 600 militant targets in the past few days while the resulting civilian death count put out by the Palestinian Health Ministry has crossed 8,300, half of them women and children. In what Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu said was the second stage of the conflict, additional infantry and artillery units entered Gaza.
Hamas said it had repelled a push by IDF tanks into Gaza City and were not fighting them on the border with Israel while Israel claimed it had killed four commanders of the militant group, besides scores of fighters. Hamas and Islamic Jihad said pitched battles with the IDF were on in the West Bank city of Jenin.
“IDF troops killed dozens of terrorists who barricaded themselves in buildings and tunnels, and attempted to attack the troops,” said the IDF. To the partial relief of the blockaded civilians of Gaza, 33 trucks carrying water, food and medical supplies entered on Sunday but they are proving to be inadequate. However, all 10 hospitals remained under the threat of bombing, especially the Shifa and Al Quds hospitals. Reports said Gaza’s infrastructure was about to collapse with no power making it difficult to operate incubators and other life-saving equipment. The UN said it was trying to keep water pumps and bakeries running even as it admitted that hunger was growing.
Meanwhile, domestic pressure increased on Netanyahu to secure the release of hostages. Desperate family members of the Israeli captives had also met with Netanyahu on Saturday and expressed support for an exchange.
