Israel-Gaza Conflict
Israel moves to control the border and retakes towns from Hamas fighters.
As war enters its fourth day, Israel has asked the United States for more weapons and called up a record number of reservists. According to the Israeli military, the attacks against Gaza will be “bigger than before and more severe.”
Four days after Palestinian gunmen launched a catastrophic cross-border assault, Israel claimed on Tuesday that its military had recovered control of cities close to Gaza. The announcement came as the nation prepared for the next round of what Israeli authorities have warned will be a crushing battle against Hamas militants.
The call-up of a further 60,000 reserve personnel was granted by the Israeli government, bringing the total number of reservists mobilized in the last three days to 360,000, the highest amount in such a short period of time since the country’s inception. Nearly every area of the ten million-person nation, which is already overcome with grief and rage over the deaths of more than 900 people in the attacks that started on Saturday, has been affected by the call-ups.
Since the attacks by Palestinian fighters and Israel’s retaliation campaign started on Saturday morning, at least 830 Palestinians have died and 4,250 have been injured, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.
Two of Hamas’ top executives were killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza, according to the Palestinian terrorist group that rules the Gaza Strip. This was confirmed by Hamas. According to the group, Zakaria Abu Muammar and Jawad Abu Shammaleh were part of the Hamas political bureau in Gaza. In response to their alleged involvement in assaults against Israel, the Israeli military claimed it had targeted both individuals.
Tuesday saw funeral procession in southern Lebanon for three Hezbollah fighters killed in border clashes with Israel. U.N. peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon stated in a statement that the situation along Israel’s border was “currently stable, although volatile.”