Israel Regains Control of Towns Near Gaza
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Facts
- Israel's military claimed Monday that its troops had regained control of all settlements bordering the Gaza Strip reportedly attacked by Hamas fighters.1
- On Saturday, Hamas gunmen infiltrated at least 22 towns in southern Israel — some as far as 15 miles (24 km) away from the Gaza border — and reportedly took civilians and soldiers hostage.2
- In response to the shock incursion, Israel ordered a 'complete siege' on Gaza and cut off all the Palestinians' electricity, food, and fuel.3
- Since Saturday's violence, over 900 people have been reported killed in Israel, while at least 600 have lost their lives in Gaza according to regular [and frequently updated] information from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.4
- Bombs have since rained down on several neighborhoods in Gaza, reportedly severely damaging over 5.3K housing units and displacing more than 187K Palestinians per UN reporting.4
- Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces have claimed to have found the bodies of 1.5K Hamas fighters inside the country. It added that no further fighters had crossed into Israel since Monday night, but that further infiltration could still be possible.5
Sources: 1Politico, 2The times of israel (a), 3Associated Press, 4Ochaopt and 5The times of israel (b).
Narratives
- Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Timesofisrael. The latest terror attacks were unprecedented and were an assault on Israeli sovereignty and security. As a result, the IDF is fully entitled to carry out sweeping attacks on Gaza and enforce the blockade to ensure that nothing of this magnitude ever happens again.
- Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Middle east eye. This tragic violence was incubated after decades of death and destruction imposed on Palestinians by Israel, which made Gaza into a veritable open-air prison. Israel will now impose a fierce 'retaliation,' which will not be condemned equally — showing the deep hypocrisy of the West and creating a humanitarian cataclysm.