Click to see full-size image. By the Israeli Air Force.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) intensified its strikes on the Gaza Strip on October 19, causing more casualties and destruction.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said in its latest update that at least 3,785 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes on the Strip since the war broke out. Of the total death toll, 1,524 were children and 1,000 were women, ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra told a press conference.
Recent strikes destroyed a number of residential buildings and homes in al-Zahra, southern Gaza City, Khan Younis and Rafah.
A number of bakeries in Gaza were also targeted. The strikes killed dozens of people and wounded hundreds who were queuing to buy bread, the Palestinian WAFA news agency reported.A correspondent of the agency said that the strikes destroyed five bakeries in different parts of the Gaza Strip, either directly or by targeting their surroundings.
The IDF also killed several commanders and key figures of the Hamas Movement. Jehad Mheisen, head of the Hamas-led national security forces, was killed along with members of his family in one of the recent strikes on Gaza.
The only female member of the Hamas Politburo, the movement’s main decision-making body, was killed by an Israeli strike.
It was also reported Jamila al-Shanti, widow of Hamas leader and co-founder Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, was killed in an air strike. Al-Rantisi was assassinated by Israel in April 2004.
In addition, the IDF said that it killed the head of the Popular Resistance Committees in Gaza, Rafat Abu Hilal. The Popular Resistance Committees is the third largest armed faction in the Strip after Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The intense strikes failed to stop rocket fire from Gaza. Hamas’ military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, fired rockets at the nearby settlements of Ashkelon, Netivot, Ashdod and Beersheba as well as at the central city of Tel Aviv. Other rocket and mortar attacks targeted Ra’im base and Sufa Support Site.
The results of the recent rocket attacks remain unknown. According to Israeli health officials more than 1,400 Israelis have been killed since the October 7 Hamas-led surprise attack, which started the war. The IDF has so far acknowledged that 306 of its service members were among the dead.
According to Hebrew media, the IDF completed preparations for a ground operation in Gaza. The invasion could begin in a few weeks, or days.
The war in Gaza will enter a more brutal stage once Israeli troops begin advancing towards the Strip. The ground battle will likely lead to more escalation all over the Middle East, especially considering reports of an Israeli plan to displace more than two million Palestians from Gaza and reoccupy the Strip.
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