Gaza is in a blackout after retaliatory air and sea strikes by Israel. A ground invasion by the Israel Defense Force (IDF) seems likely.
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The unprecedented surprise attack on Saturday by the Hamas terrorist group brutally murdered 1,200, wounded over 2,700 civilians, and took around 100-150 hostages back. In response, Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, declared a state of war. In retaliation, the IDF launched air and sea strikes on the locations of Hamas.
The IDF is retaliating to ‘full offense’ against Hamas targets. Israel’s PM said, “We have only started striking Hama.” He added, “We will exact a price that will be remembered by them (Hamas) and Israel’s other enemies for decades to come.” The PM branded Hamas as ISIS and called on the ‘forces of civilisation’ to unite against Hamas.
No food, water, electricity, and fuel for Gaza
On October 9, Yoav Gallant, Minister of Defense, ordered a ‘complete Gaza siege’ on Hamas-controlled Gaza, cutting water, food, electricity, and fuel supplies. The defense minister said, “We are fighting barbaric (Hamas terrorists), and we will respond accordingly.” The Hamas-controlled territory is in deep trouble as it receives about 10% of its annual water supply from Israel.
The water in Gaza was 70% not drinkable, and to make matters worse, the constant bombardment has contaminated the water by 90%. There are about 2.3 million people in Hamas-controlled territory. The availability of water that the people have is enough to last for days. With the Rafah Border Crossing in Egypt closed, there’s no help for Gazans.
Yesterday, October 11, Gaza was in a blackout with no electricity after running out of fuel. Some people there use solar power and generators for electricity; however, they too will need fuel to run, and the fuel will run out in a few days. Yesterday, the hospitals were forced to run on fuel. With all the blockades on all sides of the border, the condition will only worsen.
Gaza largely depends on Israel for all the necessary supplies, and the decision to cut all the supplies and order a total siege will have grave consequences for the 2.3 million people living in Gaza. The reason for dependence on Israel for the necessary supplies lies in the fact that a terrorist group, Hamas, is in control of everything, making the people suffer for their actions.
A ground invasion is imminent
As the Defense Minister said on Tuesday, the IDF is moving to “full offense” against Hamas targets. The IDF has stationed one lakh military troops across the Gaza border. The border fence is been repaired. The IDF is deployed, with its troops guarding and patrolling the border and nearby areas. Along the border, 1,500 bodies of terrorists have been found.
While addressing the IDF troops deployed along the border, the Defense Minister said, “I have released all the restraints. We have (regained) control of the area, and we are moving to full offense.” The Minister also added, “Gaza will never go back to what it was.” The one lakh troops stationed at the border are part of the ‘complete siege on Gaza.’
3,00,000 reservists were called on the southern border. The reservists are on their way from various countries. The air and sea strikes are still bombarding the Hamas targets, and there are reports from the IDF and the Israel Air Force that many Hamas terrorists, including the top-ranked leaders, have been killed in the retaliation strike since Saturday.
Even though a full ground invasion might be hard, however, the IDF has experience in the areas of Gaza. Israel conducted the last ground invasion of the country in the 2014 War. IDF spokesperson, Jonathan Conricus said on Thursday that the ground offensive will come “when opportune and fit for our purposes.”
