Israel Implements Full Blockade of Gaza Amid Retaliatory Strikes Following Hamas Incursion

 

 Israel's military imposed a comprehensive blockade on the Gaza Strip on Monday, resulting in the cessation of food, fuel, and essential supplies entering the region, which is home to 2.3 million people. This move comes as Israel continues its series of airstrikes on the Hamas-controlled territory in response to the militants' weekend incursion.

Over two days after Hamas initiated a surprise attack from Gaza, the Israeli military reported that it had largely regained control in its southern towns, where it had been clashing with Hamas fighters. Israel's typically formidable military and intelligence apparatus were taken aback by Hamas, leading to significant urban warfare, a situation not seen in decades.

Tanks and drones were deployed to protect breaches in the border fence to prevent further infiltrations. Thousands of Israelis were evacuated from more than a dozen towns near Gaza, and the military summoned 300,000 reservists in a massive mobilization within a short period.

These actions, coupled with Israel's official declaration of war on Sunday, suggest that Israel is increasingly shifting to an offensive stance against Hamas, which threatens more significant destruction in the densely populated and impoverished Gaza Strip. On Sunday, airstrikes leveled much of the Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, which Israel claimed Hamas was using as a staging area. On Monday, the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings to residents of Rimal, a residential and commercial district in central Gaza City where offices of The Associated Press and other international media are located, signaling impending heavy strikes.

A significant question remains about whether Israel will launch a ground assault on the tiny Mediterranean coastal territory, a move that has historically resulted in higher casualties. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to eliminate the "military and governing capabilities" of the militant group.

While Israel has targeted over 1,000 sites in Gaza, Palestinian militants continue to launch barrages of rockets, prompting air raid sirens in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Online videos have emerged showing smoke near a terminal at Ben Gurion International Airport, but there is no immediate information regarding casualties or damage from the latest bombardment.

Civilians have already borne a heavy toll in the conflict. Israeli media outlets, citing rescue services, report that around 700 people, including 73 soldiers, have been killed in Israel, marking a significant loss in recent conflicts. The Gaza Health Ministry stated that 493 people, including 78 children and 41 women, were killed in the territory, with thousands wounded on both sides.

Palestinian militant groups claim to be holding over 130 people abducted in Israel and brought into Gaza. Hamas' armed wing announced on its Telegram channel that four of them were killed in Israeli airstrikes, but this information could not be independently verified.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a "complete siege" on Gaza, intending to cut off electricity and prevent the entry of food and fuel. Gallant characterized Israel's opponents as "human animals," using dehumanizing language often seen during periods of heightened tension.

Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of blockade on Gaza since Hamas took control in 2007. In recent years, Israel has provided limited electricity and allowed the import of some essential goods, but travel in and out of Gaza has been heavily restricted.

With the Israeli blockade, Gaza will become almost entirely reliant on its crossing into Egypt at Rafah, where cargo capacity is lower compared to other crossings into Israel.

An anonymous Egyptian military official mentioned that more than 2 tons of medical supplies from the Egyptian Red Crescent have been sent to Gaza, with efforts underway to organize food and other deliveries. However, the decision to allow fuel into Gaza has not been made yet.

Israeli Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari informed reporters that Israeli bombardment is targeting houses and buildings used by Hamas, moving from district to district. Israel plans to hit thousands of targets, he said and claimed that "hundreds" of Hamas militants were buried under the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israel in the past 48 hours, though these numbers and the identification of the deceased as Hamas members could not be independently confirmed.

In the southern Gaza city of Rafah, an Israeli airstrike early Monday killed 19 people, including women and children, according to Talat Barhoum, a doctor at the local Al-Najjar Hospital. The strike targeted the home of the Abu Hilal family and caused damage to surrounding homes.

Over the weekend, another airstrike in Rafah killed 19 members of the Abu Quta family, including women and children, and five neighbors, according to survivor Nasser Abu Quta, who stated that there were no militants in the family's house.

The U.N. reported that more than 123,000 people have fled their homes in Gaza due to Israeli warnings of imminent bombardment. UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, reported that a school sheltering over 225 people was directly hit, although it did not specify the source of the fire.

After approximately 48 hours of intense battles, Hagari mentioned that the military had achieved "control" over its border communities in southern Israel. There are currently no fighting activities in these communities, except for isolated incidents earlier on Monday.

Fifteen out of 24 border communities have been evacuated, with the remaining expected to be emptied in the coming days.

Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua stated over the phone that the group's fighters continue to battle outside Gaza and have captured more Israelis as recently as Monday morning. The group's goal is to free all Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, which has previously agreed to lopsided exchange deals, releasing large numbers of prisoners for individual captives or remains of soldiers.

The captives include soldiers, and civilians, including women, children, and older adults, mostly Israelis but also some individuals of other nationalities. Egypt's state-run Al-Ahram newspaper reported that Egyptian officials are attempting to mediate the release of Palestinian women held in Israel's prisons in exchange for Israeli women captured by militants.

Mayyan Zin, a divorced mother of two, learned that her two daughters had been abducted when a relative sent her photos from a Telegram group showing them in captivity. She found online videos showing gunmen in her ex-husband's home, where her two daughters were weeping. Another video showed her ex-husband being taken into Gaza.

Zin pleaded, "Just bring my daughters home and to their family. All the people."

Hamas has maintained control over Gaza since pushing out forces loyal to the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority in 2007. Its rule has persisted through a blockade and four previous conflicts with Israel.

Hamas initiated its attack by breaking through Israeli barriers with explosives at dawn on Saturday. Around 1,000 Hamas gunmen rampaged for hours, targeting civilians and seizing people in towns, along highways, and at a techno music festival in the desert. Palestinian militants have also launched approximately 4,400 rockets at Israel, according to the military.

Hamas cited mounting Palestinian suffering under Israel's occupation of the West Bank, its blockade of Gaza, its discriminatory policies in annexed east Jerusalem, and tensions surrounding a disputed Jerusalem holy site sacred to both Muslims and Jews as reasons for its attack.

The Palestinians aspire to establish a state encompassing all three territories captured by Israel in the 1967 war. However, the last significant peace talks broke down over a decade ago, and Israel's far-right government opposes Palestinian statehood.

On Sunday, the U.S. dispatched an aircraft carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean to be prepared to assist Israel and pledged additional military aid.