At least 830 Palestinians, including women, children and elderly, have been killed and over 4,100 injured in more than three days of Israeli bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said Tuesday another 18 people were killed and 100 injured in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli officials have ordered a total blockade of Gaza to compensate for heavy losses suffered during Operation Al-Aqsa Storm launched by the resistance movement Hamas on Saturday.
UN Chief Antonio Guterres has already expressed concern over the situation in Gaza, saying the clashes will deteriorate the situation exponentially. He said he was “deeply distressed” by an announcement that Israel will initiate a complete siege of Gaza.
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister has also written a letter to Guterres on the circumstances in Gaza, asking him to take immediate measures to prevent a mass killing of Gazans at the hands of the Israeli regime.
Hamas missiles strike Ben Gurion Airport
Hamas fired missiles towards the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. Resistance fighters also launched new missile strikes on Israeli cities, including Asqalan. Hamas says it has also targeted Tel Aviv itself.
Israeli media said sirens were heard in areas in and around Tel Aviv. The city of Ashdod, south of Tel Aviv, had a similar experience.
Hamas says resistance has more to catch the Israeli enemy off-guard, both in terms of weapon capabilities and the resilience to manage a protracted battle.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim said the aftermath of Operation Al-Aqsa Storm continues to rattle the regime. He said the regime is seeking to make up for the unprecedented humiliation of its army by targeting more civilians.
Palestinian journalists in West Bank in crosshairs
Omar Nazzal, deputy head of the Palestinian Journalist Union, said attacks on journalists in the West Bank are on the rise. “Journalists are unable to move within the West Bank and between the occupied West Bank and al-Quds due to Israeli restrictions.”
Journalists have also been prevented from doing their work, “all of which are carried out by Israeli authorities to stop them from showing the world the crimes that are being perpetrated against Palestinians,” he said.
The multi-pronged Hamas operation was launched from Gaza in response to weeks of violence against the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the continued presence of Israeli extremists in the al-Aqsa Mosque.
