Israel is now facing international pressure to rethink plans for a massive ground assault in Gaza where it has been carrying out relentless airstrikes that the Hamas-run health ministry says killed 700 people in 24 hours.
Here are 10 facts about the Israel-Hamas war:
- Alarm is growing over the spiralling death toll in Gaza which Israel has been bombarding since October 7 when Hamas gunmen infiltrated southern Israeli cities killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 222 others. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the country's war cabinet are "working round the clock" to prepare for the ground invasion.
- US President Biden has asked Israel to delay an invasion of Gaza so that more hostages held by Hamas can be freed, and French President Emmanuel Macron said a "massive" ground operation would be a mistake, as diplomatic efforts to avert a wider war intensify.
- Biden today said that the future should include Israeli and Palestinian states side by side. He also discussed efforts to secure the release of hostages, allow foreign nationals to leave Gaza, and bolster aid deliveries with Netanyahu.
- "Israelis and Palestinians equally deserve to live side by side in safety, dignity, and in peace," Biden said at a press conference.
- Russia has also spoken against Israel's relentless strikes warning that the conflict could spread beyond the Middle East. Russian President Vladimir Putin said it was wrong that innocent women, children, and old people in Gaza were being punished for other people's crimes.
- The remarks come as alarm grew over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza where hospitals are facing "complete collapse".
- So far, more than 6,500 Palestinians have been killed, mostly civilians, and there are fears the toll could further soar if Israel pushes ahead with a ground invasion in a bid to destroy Hamas and rescue the hostages.
- Israel has vowed to wipe out Hamas, which rules Gaza. "We will keep striking in Gaza in order to achieve the goals of the war. Every strike strengthens us and improves our situation ahead of the next stages in the war," Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said.
- Israel has cut off Gaza's usual water, food, and other supplies, and fewer than 70 relief trucks have entered the impoverished territory since the war began. But none have contained fuel, which Israel fears Hamas will use for weapons and explosives.
- Israel's war against Hamas has already sparked conflict beyond the Palestinian territories. Israeli warplanes struck Syrian army infrastructure on Wednesday in response to rockets fired from Syria, an ally of Iran. Israel has also targeted Syria's Aleppo airport and Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
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