ISRAEL swept into Gaza, the West Bank and Syria in the early hours of Sunday morning as the country escalated its airstrikes.
The overnight bombing could be a precursor to a long-awaited ground invasion of Gaza amid Israel’s ongoing efforts to wipe out Hamas.
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Israel escalated its airstrikes overnight, attacking Gaza, the West Bank and SyriaCredit: AP
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An estimated 700,000 have already fled Gaza as Israel teeters on the brink of its long-awaited ground invasionCredit: Reuters
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Statistics released by Gaza’s health ministry on Sunday reveal that more than 14,245 people have been woundedCredit: AP
Israel has been on the verge of launching a ground offensive in Gaza for days, with tanks and tens of thousands of troops massed on the border.
Israeli military officials say Hamas’ infrastructure and underground tunnel system are concentrated in Gaza City, and that the next phase of the offensive there will involve unprecedented force.
As they continue their efforts to crush Hamas, Israeli officials have also talked about creating a possible buffer zone to prevent Palestinians from approaching the border.
It is likely that the nation will follow a fierce five-step plan for a successful ground offensive.
This would include seizing northern Gaza, eliminating Hamas’s army and leadership, applying the same steps to the south of the Strip, establishing a fortified base, pinpointing attacks to wipe out Hamas, and demilitarizing Gaza within five years.
Meanwhile, the state security agency Shin Bet has created a new strike force “Eternal” to find and kill all 2,500 Hamas terrorists behind the October 7 massacre.
The special unit was specifically set up to target members of the Nukhba – a special commando unit within the military wing of Hamas.
The force is named after the First World War Jewish underground organization “Nili” – an acronym for a Hebrew phrase that translates as “The Eternal One of Israel will not lie”.
Israel has warned that all Hamas members are dead men walking, with the two accused masterminds of the October 7 attack at the top of the hit list: Hamas military commander Muhammad Deif and political leader Yahya Sinwar.
Israel repeated its calls for people to leave northern Gaza, including dropping leaflets from the air.
He says an estimated 700,000 have already fled, but hundreds of thousands remain, increasing the risk of mass civilian casualties in the event of a ground offensive.
Gaza authorities said 50 people were killed in airstrikes on the Strip overnight.
The IDF claims that Hamas is losing control in northern and central Gaza, reports N12.
Statistics released by the Gaza Health Ministry on Sunday reveal the latest number of casualties from Israeli airstrikes.
He claims that since October 7, 4,651 Palestinians have been killed, 40 percent of them children, reports Sky News.
More than 14,245 people were injured, of which 70 percent were children and women, it was learned.
Spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra said 266 Palestinians, including 117 children, had been killed in Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours.
In the West Bank, an Israeli jet struck a compound below a mosque early Sunday.
Israel’s military said it had mined a “terrorist route” under the al-Ansar mosque in the Jenin refugee camp that it said was being used by militants to stage attacks.
Also during the night there were Israeli rocket attacks on two Syrian airports, killing two people.
Today’s early morning attacks are the second in recent days to hit the West Bank, where violence has risen since Hamas gunmen from Gaza carried out a deadly attack in Israel on October 7.
Palestinian doctors said at least one person was killed in the attack on the mosque.
The Israeli military said the mosque complex belonged to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which have carried out several attacks in recent months and are planning another.
“Information has recently been received indicating that the terrorists, (who) have been neutralized, are organizing an imminent terrorist attack,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
The IDF has released images it says show the entrance to a bunker under the mosque.
He also released a diagram that he says shows where the militants have stored weapons there.
In a tweet, the IDF wrote: “The IDF & ISA have just carried out an airstrike on the compound of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists at the Al-Ansar Mosque in Jenin.
“Recent IDF intelligence revealed that the mosque was used as a command center to plan and carry out terrorist attacks on civilians.”
The Jenin refugee camp, a stronghold of Palestinian militants, was the center of a major Israeli military operation earlier this year.
Footage on social media showing the scene of the airstrike showed a gaping hole in one of the mosque’s outer walls, surrounded by debris.
A few dozen Palestinians are seen assessing the damage, as emergency sirens blare in the background.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Emergency Service said at least one Palestinian was killed and three others were injured. Earlier it was said that two people were killed.
The Israeli Air Force said: “In a joint operation by the IDF and the ISA, the IDF carried out an airstrike against an underground terrorist compound at the Al-Ansar Mosque in Jenin.
“There was a terrorist cell of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the mosque, which organized the immediate terrorist attack.
“The terrorist cell also carried out a terrorist attack on October 14 in the area of the security fence, where an explosive device was detonated by the cell activation of the terrorist forces that arrived at the scene.”
It comes as
Meanwhile, two people were also killed following an Israeli missile attack on two Syrian airports early this morning.
The country’s General Directorate of Meteorology announced that two workers were killed in a strike at Damascus International Airport.
Israel also hit the international airport in Aleppo.
Both airports are currently out of service and regular flights to and from Damascus and Aleppo have been diverted to Latakia International Airport, the Transport Ministry said.
Syrian state media, meanwhile, reported that Israeli airstrikes targeted international airports in the capital Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo.
The strikes are said to have killed one person and damaged the runways, putting them out of service.
Israel has carried out several attacks in Syria, including on airports, since the start of the war.
Israel rarely acknowledges individual strikes, but says it is acting to prevent Hezbollah and other militant groups from receiving weapons from its patron, Iran, which also supports Hamas.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah said six of its fighters were killed on Saturday.
The group’s deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Kassem, warned that Israel would pay a heavy price if it launched a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Israel says it will continue to respond to rocket fire from Lebanon.
It came after Israel last night vowed to step up airstrikes on Gaza as it prepares for the “next phase of the war”.
The IDF said the bombing would be crucial in “reducing the danger” to create the “best conditions” for an invasion.
Tens of thousands of soldiers and huge columns of tanks remain massed on the Israel-Gaza border awaiting orders.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday evening, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said: “We must enter the next phase of the war under the best conditions, not according to what anyone tells us.
As of today, we are intensifying strikes and minimizing the danger.
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The nighttime attacks could be a precursor to the long-awaited ground invasion of GazaCredit: AFP
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Tanks and troops are massed near Israel’s border with the Gaza StripCredit: EPA
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Israeli jet blasts ‘terrorist headquarters’ hidden in tunnels under West Bank mosqueCredit: EPA
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Israel’s military says ‘terrorist route’ lies beneath al-Ansar mosque in Jenin refugee campCredit: Reuters
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The mosque was left with gaping holes in the outer walls, surrounded by debris Credit: EPA
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People inspect the damage after an Israeli strike hit a compound below a mosque in the occupied West BankCredit: Reuters
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The IDF shared a connection diagram Credit: Twitter/ IDF
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Source: HIS Education