Israel Expands Assault Into Gaza

Facts

• After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the country's war against Hamas was now in the 'second stage' over the weekend, Israeli troops and tanks continued to push deeper into the territory of Gaza on Monday. Reports suggested that Israeli forces had blocked Gaza's main north-south highway and were advancing on Gaza City from two directions.¹
• The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Monday that it killed dozens of Hamas militants in the attacks, including a number of senior commanders. It added that the assault was supported by drone attacks and air strikes; of which there were around 600, the IDF said. Meanwhile, Hamas confirmed it was involved in 'heavy fighting' against Israel.²
• The expanded Israeli attacks come as Pro-Palestine protests calling for an immediate ceasefire were held in a number of major cities across the world on Saturday. Among them were New York, London, Rome, Istanbul and Baghdad, as well as a number of other cities across the Middle East.³
• Protests calling for a ceasefire were also held in as many as 20 locations across Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, according to reports. Coming as Netanyahu met with the families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, a number of protestors called on the Israeli prime minister to resign while others demanded that more be done in hostage negotiations.⁴
• A number of Israeli voices — including Giora Eiland, a former head of the Israeli National Security Council, as well as the Haaretz newspaper — called on the Israeli government to release roughly 5K Palestinians, including Hamas fighters, who are held in Israeli prisons in exchange for the estimated 229 hostages held in Gaza.⁵
• Meanwhile, the Gaza health ministry on Monday said that the death toll now passed 8.3K people killed since Israel started launching attacks three weeks ago. Over 1.4K people died in Israel during the initial Hamas attack.¹

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²The Times of Israel, ³CNN, ⁴The National and ⁵The Guardian.

Narratives

• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by The Times of Israel. Following the terror attacks in Israel, the country is continuing its legitimate military operations in Gaza as part of its war against Hamas. Israel's military activity has killed dozens of Hamas fighters, including a number of commanders, and has destroyed a number of Hamas weapons and positions.
• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Middle East Eye. Israel's unrelenting attacks on Gaza have wiped out whole neighborhoods and killed thousands of civilians. The bombardment is so extensive that rescuers often have to leave dead bodies under the rubble in order to prioritize rescuing those who may be still alive from more recent attacks. A ceasefire is needed now.

Predictions