VAM News Update

Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians escalated with a recent deadly rocket attack that killed more than 1,500 people and left several injured.

In negotiations with Qatar, Egypt, and the United Nations, Hamas has pushed for Israeli concessions that could loosen the blockade on the Gaza Strip and help halt a worsening financial crisis.

Here’s a 10-point guide on Israel-Hamas war;

1) The Israeli military on Tuesday said that it had shelled Syria after rockets hit open land in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

However, it did not accuse any group of the rocket attack as Israel had already exchanged fire previously with militant forces firing rockets from southern Lebanon into Israel.

2) After the deadly rocket attack, Israel also expanded its mobilization of military reservists to 360,000. The chief military spokesman emphasized the unprecedented nature of the current campaign against Hamas, saying ‘all options are on the table’.

3) More than 137,000 Palestinians were packed into United Nations shelters, and the World Health Organization reported that the medical supplies it had pre-positioned in seven Gaza hospitals were already used up.

4) The bodies of roughly 1,500 Hamas militants were found on Israeli territory, the military said. It wasn’t immediately clear whether those numbers overlapped with deaths previously reported by Palestinian authorities, AP reported.

5) US President Joe Biden on Tuesday continued to condemn the attack by Hamas, calling it an act of “pure unadulterated evil”. Antony Blinken is traveling to Israel on an urgent mission to show support for Israel, the State Department said Tuesday.

6) As per the latest update, more than 1,000 Israelis have been killed in the war on Hamas, the Israeli Defense Forces said, up from 900 previously reported.

Over 2,800 Israelis have been injured and 2,294 Hamas targets struck, the IDF added in a post at 10:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Tuesday, while Gaza officials have reported at least 900 people killed.

7) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he had spoken with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone and thanked him for “providing an update on the ongoing situation”. “People of India stand firmly with Israel in this difficult hour.”

8) Israel recaptured Gaza border areas from Hamas on Tuesday, the fourth day of fierce fighting that has left thousands dead on both sides since the militants launched a surprise attack.

9) PM Netanyahu has warned Israel’s military campaign following Saturday’s onslaught is only the start of a sustained war to destroy Hamas and “change the Middle East”.

10) The US has sent an aircraft carrier and other warships to the eastern Mediterranean as part of efforts to deter an expansion of the conflict and is also providing other assistance, including sharing intelligence with Israel.