Israel orders 'complete siege' of Gaza, cutting access to food, water, electricity
Israel’s defense minister ordered a “complete siege” of the long-blockaded Gaza Strip on Monday, as its forces battled Palestinian militants in border towns for a third day and launched retaliatory strikes that hit a mosque and a marketplace in Gaza.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that “no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel” would be allowed into Gaza, in effect cutting off a crowded coastal territory already under a 16-year blockade and where militants are holding at least 150 Israelis hostage.
More than two days after the incursion by Palestinian militants, the most stunning security failure in Israel in decades, the chief military spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, declared that the army had regained control of border communities but acknowledged that “there may still be terrorists in the area.” Lt. Col. Richard Hecht of the Israel Defense Forces acknowledged in a briefing Monday that the fighting was ongoing, saying: “We thought by this morning we’d be in a better place.”
More than 700 people have been killed in Israel and nearly 2,400 wounded. In Gaza, Israeli forces have launched hundreds of strikes, leveling buildings that officials say are linked to Hamas, the militant group that controls the territory. At least 560 Palestinians have been killed, according to authorities in Gaza, and at least 2,900 others have been injured.
As Israel mobilized 300,000 reservists, it sent troops and tanks to the south to prepare for what military officials said would be the next stage of the war, which analysts said could involve a ground invasion of Gaza. But such an operation seemed unlikely to begin until Israel secures its own territory, and its timing and scale remained unclear because Hamas and other militants are holding so many Israelis hostage.
Here’s what else to know:
— Hamas’ armed wing, al-Qassam, said four Israelis being held by the militants were killed in an Israeli bombardment overnight, along with the Palestinians holding them captive. The claim could not be independently verified.
— The White House said it had confirmed the deaths of nine Americans in the attack by Hamas, which began Saturday, and that other Americans remain unaccounted for.
— The Pentagon on Sunday announced it was sending additional munitions to Israel and moving more Navy warships, including an aircraft carrier, and combat aircraft closer to Israel in a show of support. The United States is working to fulfill several specific requests from Israel for military assistance, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, without providing details.
— Schools remain closed in much of Israel, airlines have curtailed flights to Tel Aviv’s main airport, and volunteers are donating blood and food.
— Israeli security officials said up to 109 people were believed to have been killed at a music festival early Saturday when militants swept into the concert site 3 miles from the Gaza border. Videos show panicked concertgoers fleeing south into the desert and more than 100 abandoned vehicles on the side of the road.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
