Hundreds of thousands of troops mass on border as near-constant airstrikes pound besieged Strip
The Israeli army is poised for a ground invasion of Gaza, as the United Nations warned of an unfolding “humanitarian catastrophe” in the besieged Strip.
Hundreds of thousands of IDF troops have amassed in multiple divisions on the border of the enclave, which they have sealed off and cut access to water, fuel, electricity and food.
Over the last few days, the Israeli air force has launched near continual and ferocious bombardments of Gaza, levelling whole neighbourhoods and reducing city blocks to rubble.
Military officials warned that “every option was on the table” in response to the unprecedented attack by Hamas militants who breached the border fence in dozens of locations at the weekend, killing hundreds of people and taking dozens hostage.
“We are preparing our forces for the option of a ground operation. I believe that they are ready, the forces want to do that,” IDF spokesman Major Nir Dinar told The Independent.
“[The military] is signalling the government that they are ready.”
He said the airstrikes were ongoing and “much stronger than they used to be from previous escalations”.
“It is heavier in number and scale and force,” he added.
Destruction from Israeli aerial bombardment is seen in Gaza City
(AP)
The development came as:
• Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined forces with opposition leaders to form an emergency wartime government
• The number of British citizens either killed or missing rose to 17, including children. Briton Jake Marlowe was confirmed dead
• The US says 22 of its citizens have died in Israel, while 17 are missing, with some believed to have been taken hostage
• The Israeli death toll rose to 1,200 as airstrikes killed 1,100 Palestinians
• UK foreign secretary James Cleverly visited Israel and had to run to a bomb shelter when air-raid sirens went off
In Gaza, where the only power plant ran out of fuel, United Nations officials told The Independent that a humanitarian disaster was fast unfolding because of the bombings, blockade and the closure of border crossings.
Tamara al-Rifai, spokesperson for the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, said nearly 180,000 displaced people, fleeing airstrikes, had taken shelter in 88 UN schools in Gaza in just two days.
Meanwhile, no humanitarian aid has been getting in because of Israel’s total siege and the fact the border with Egypt had been closed. “It is a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding,” she said.
