Israel is reeling under a deadly attack by Hamas operatives who entered through the border fence under a barrage of rocket fire on Saturday morning and killed more than 900 people inside Israel. In response, Israel is carrying out a massive air and artillery bombardment of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. Amid war, The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday released pictures of Israeli soldiers who lost their lives in the war against Hamas.
''These are just some of the faces of the fallen soldiers in the war against Hamas. We stand by their families in this devastating time and together, we will carry on their memory,'' IDF wrote on X, with pictures of 65 soldiers.
See the tweet here:
As per Times of Israel, a total of 73 Israeli soldiers have died in the war so far.
Meanwhile, several horrifying pictures and videos have also surfaced on social media showing Hamas fighters dragging Israeli soldiers and civilians through the streets of Gaza. Other graphic visuals online show injured Israeli soldiers and civilians, with their hands tied, being taken by force in Hamas vehicles.
Several legal and security experts in the country said Hamas' actions constitute war crimes, and likely crimes against humanity, since the assault against civilians was so broad and deliberate.
“Hamas has committed a long list of crimes in this attack for which have been documented, including the killing of civilians, taking civilians captive, and abusing the bodies of civilians and soldiers,” Prof. Yuval Shany, an expert in international law and a lecturer at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem told The Times Of Israel.
Palestinian group Hamas threatened Monday to kill hostages if the Israeli army carried out air strikes without prior warning targeting residents of the Gaza Strip.
In retaliation, Israel today continued to pound Hamas targets in Gaza and said the bodies of 1,500 terrorists were found in southern towns recaptured by the army near the Palestinian enclave.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to turn Hamas-controlled areas "to rubble", raising concern from the United Nations over possible "humanitarian law" violations.
"While I recognize Israel's legitimate security concerns, I also remind Israel that military operations must be conducted in strict accordance with international humanitarian law," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
