Civilian populations are on the front lines of the fighting between Israel and Hamas. According to the latest figures communicated by both parties, more than 1,200 Israelis have died since Saturday, most of them civilians, in the attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement. On the Palestinian side, at least 1,100 deaths are reported. The injured number in the thousands. On the fifth day of fighting, Israeli bombing intensified in the Gaza Strip while Palestinian rockets continue to fall in Israel.
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Israel did not know how to anticipate the horror. On Saturday, October 7, Hamas attacked the Jewish State by surprise in several parts of the country, by air, sea and land, triggering a new chapter in the long conflict that confronts the two peoples. Five days later, more than 1,200 Israelis were killed and some 2,800 wounded, according to the Hebrew State Army.
Among the objectives of the Palestinian Islamist movement: to directly hit civilian populations with incursions by fighters and rocket attacks. Like in the city of Ashkelon, 20 kilometers north of Gaza.
Israel’s response was on an unprecedented scale. Since Monday, October 9, the Israeli armed forces have imposed a “total siege” on the 2.6 million people in the Gaza Strip. They constantly bomb the Palestinian territory under Hamas control.
The aerial bombardments have already cost the lives of at least 1,100 Palestinians according to figures from the local Ministry of Health, to which more than 5,100 are injured. Nearly 260,000 people have been displaced within the Palestinian enclave, according to the UN.
The conflict also spilled over into other territories. The Israeli Army bombed Hezbollah positions on the border with Lebanon. On Wednesday, October 11, Israeli armed forces and Jewish state settlers killed three Palestinians in the village of Qasra, near the West Bank city of Nablus, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Five days after the start of the Hamas attack, tranquility did not return to Ashkelon. Palestinian rockets continue to fall in the city.
On Wednesday, Israel formed an “emergency government” for the duration of the war against Hamas. At the same time, Israeli bombing intensified. Other days of horror lie ahead for civilians on both sides.
With AFP, Reuters and AP.
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