Gazans scramble for essentials as Israel plans possible ground ops

Jerusalem, October 12

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Palestinians lined up outside bakeries and grocery stores in Gaza on Thursday after spending the night surrounded by the ruins of pulverised neighbourhoods darkened by a near-total power outage. Israel launched new airstrikes and said it was preparing for a possible ground invasion.

International aid groups warned that the death toll in Gaza could mount after Israel stopped all deliveries of food, water fuel and electricity and the tiny enclave’s crossing with Egypt closed.

The war, which was ignited by a bloody and wide-ranging assault on Israel by Hamas militants, has already claimed at least 2,600 lives on both sides.

Lt Col Richard Hecht, an Israeli military spokesman, told reporters on Thursday that forces “are preparing for a ground manoeuvre” should political leaders order one. A ground offensive in Gaza, whose 2.3 million residents are densely packed into a sliver of land only 40-km long, would likely bring even higher casualties on both sides in a brutal house-to-house fighting.

As Israel pounds Gaza, Hamas fighters have fired thousands of rockets into Israel since their weekend assault. Militants in the territory are also holding an estimated 150 persons taken hostage from Israel. — AP

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