266 Palestinians killed in 24 hours
Sandeep Dikshit
New Delhi, October 23
In a new stage in the ongoing conflict in West Asia, the Israeli military conducted limited ground operations in Gaza even as Palestinian militant group Hamas offered resistance.
Israel also hammered Hamas positions from the air on Monday, killing more civilians, even as the second aid convoy of 14 trucks entered the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing. The UN said the aid was just four per cent of the daily requirement.
As many as 266 Palestinians were killed in the past 24 hours, taking the combined toll in Gaza and West Bank to 4,651, said the Gaza-based health ministry, adding that nearly half of them were women and children. In addition, over 1,000 are reported missing. These include 29 UN health and aid workers. The Israeli authorities say 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed, among them 27 are children. At least 222 are held captive in Gaza.
Israel said its ground forces have mounted limited raids to fight Palestinian gunmen. “During the night, there were raids by (Israeli) tank and infantry forces,” said Israel’s chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. Israel also conducted airstrikes where Hamas was assembling to conduct ambushes.
As rockets continued coming in unabated from both Gaza and Lebanon, Israel evacuated more communities located close to the borders. Israeli missiles also hit airports in Damascus and Aleppo, putting them out of service and killing two ground staff, according to Syrian media. Israeli aircraft also struck two Hezbollah cells in Lebanon, killing a fighter. Top world leaders worked the phones to stave off a wider conflict.
PM Narendra Modi called up King of Jordan Abdullah II and shared “concerns regarding terrorism, violence and loss of civilian lives”. “Concerted efforts needed for early resolution of the security and humanitarian situation,” said a PMO post on X.
“What we’re seeing… is the prospect of a significant escalation of attacks on our troops and our people throughout the region,” cautioned US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. US President Joe Biden called up Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu and spoke with leaders of Canada, France, Britain, Germany, Italy and Britain about getting aid into Gaza and preventing the conflict from spreading.
In a joint statement, they backed Israel’s right to defend itself but also called for adherence to international humanitarian law, including protection of civilians. The US has already dispatched two aircraft carrier groups and about 2,000 Marines.
On the other side, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian to stop Israel’s “brutal crimes” in Gaza.
PM talks to Jordan King
PM Narendra Modi called up King of Jordan Abdullah II and shared “concerns regarding terrorism, violence and loss of civilian lives”.
Hamas deploys drones
Hamas said it had targeted two Israeli posts with drones even as Israeli military said two drones were fired from Gaza into Israeli territory and were destroyed.
Israel uses ‘Iron Sting’
Israel has deployed its new and latest weapon system ‘Iron Sting’ to destroy Hamas rocket launchers in Gaza. Israel defined it as ‘innovative and accurate mortar bomb’.