LIVE | Day 4: Israel batters Gaza neighbourhoods as people scramble for safety
Israeli warplanes repeatedly carried out airstrikes on Gaza city and sent Palestinians scrambling for safety.
Israeli warplanes hammered the Gaza Strip neighbourhood by neighbourhood on Tuesday (October 10), reducing buildings to rubble and sending people scrambling to find safety in the tiny, sealed-off territory as Israel vowed a retaliation for Hamas' surprise weekend attack that would “reverberate...for generations”.
Aid organisations pleaded for the creation of humanitarian corridors to get aid into Gaza, warning that hospitals overwhelmed with wounded were running out of supplies. Israel has stopped all access of food, fuel and medicines into Gaza, and the sole remaining access from Egypt shut down on Tuesday after airstrikes hit near the border crossing.
The war began after Hamas militants stormed into Israel on Saturday, bringing gunbattles to its streets for the first time in decades. At least 1,600 lives have already been claimed on both sides, and perhaps hundreds more. Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza hold more than 150 soldiers and civilians hostage, according to Israel.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani warned that an escalation in the conflict in Gaza could result in the destruction of the besieged enclave. He made this statement during a meeting with Russian President Putin, stressing that the ongoing situation in Palestine is a direct consequence of Israel's repeated violations of Palestinian rights. Al-Sudani slammed the international community for its silence and failure to fulfill its obligations as per internationally recognized resolutions.
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed on X (Twitter) that the Israeli military retaliated with artillery fire after rockets were launched from Lebanese territory.
Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen's Houthi group, has stated that if the US directly intervenes in Gaza, they will retaliate by employing military options, such as launching drones and missiles. Al Houthi stressed that there are boundaries concerning Gaza and expressed readiness to collaborate with other groups if needed.
Currently, rockets are being launched from Gaza towards the Israeli city of Ashkelon.
Port of Gaza in flames as Israel renews its air attacks.
Far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, has revealed plans to purchase 10,000 guns for the purpose of arming "civilian security teams" in Israel and the occupied West Bank, according to a report by the Times of Israel. Out of these, 4,000 guns have already been acquired. The weapons will be distributed to Israeli towns located near the borders, as well as to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and mixed Palestinian-Jewish cities within Israel, such as Haifa. Ben Gvir, a staunch Jewish settler with previous convictions for supporting terrorism and incitement against Palestinians, said, "We will go to great lengths to ensure the protection of towns. I have given instructions to significantly arm the civilian security teams."
United Nations human rights chief, Volker Turk, strongly condemned Israel's complete blockade of the Gaza Strip. Turk said that this blockade, leading to critical shortages of essential goods for civilians, constitutes a clear violation of international law. He called on all parties involved to collaborate in de-escalating the highly volatile situation. This call for de-escalation is crucial given Israel's warnings of a prolonged conflict aimed at dismantling the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Israeli fighter jets launched attacks on more than 100 "targets" in the Al-Furqan area in Gaza, as reported by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). In the preceding day, the IDF had targeted over 250 sites in the same region. Additionally, Israel's defence forces confirmed strikes in the Rafah area, targeting an underground tunnel employed for the smuggling of weapons and equipment.
The representative of Hamas's Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, known as Abu Obeida, issued a menacing warning said the Times of Israel, stating that a significant rocket assault on the southern coastal city of Ashkelon was imminent.
Abu Obeida, speaking on his Telegram channel, declared, "In response to the enemy's heinous act of displacing our people and compelling them to abandon their homes in various areas of the Gaza Strip, we are granting the residents of the occupied city of Ashkelon until 5 p.m. to evacuate."
French President Macron strongly condemned Hamas' "unacceptable blackmail" after they threatened to execute hostages abducted during a weekend assault. Macron called Hamas' actions "odious and unacceptable," suspecting external assistance but clarifying no direct evidence of Iran's involvement.