Israeli Attacks Result in Complete Destruction of Gaza Neighborhoods Amid Looming Electrical Shutdown

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Palestinian residents in the enclosed Gaza Strip were left desperately searching for safe zones on Wednesday as Israeli airstrikes leveled entire localities. Hospitals faced shortages of essential supplies while a near-term electricity outage loomed, exacerbating the existing harsh conditions of a conflict triggered by a large-scale infiltration of Hamas militants.

Aerial bombings reduced whole sections of cities to ruins in the coastal territory, leaving an unspecified number of casualties buried under heaps of rubble. The ongoing airstrikes continued, even as militants held approximately 150 people—kidnapped from Israel and consisting of soldiers, men, women, children, and the elderly—as hostages in Gaza.

Israel has committed to an unparalleled counteroffensive against Hamas, the militant organization governing the Palestinian territory. This pledge came after Hamas fighters breached the border fence last Saturday, killing hundreds of Israelis in their residences, on the streets, and at an open-air music event.

The ongoing war, already responsible for a minimum of 2,200 fatalities on both sides, shows signs of intensification. This will likely aggravate the suffering of the population in Gaza, where even basic resources and power were scarce before the conflict.

After the offensive, Israel halted the inflow of food, water, fuel, and medicines into the 40-kilometer-long Gaza Strip, populated by 2.3 million Palestinians and situated between Israel, Egypt, and the Mediterranean Sea. The last remaining access route from Egypt was sealed on Tuesday following airstrikes near the border.

With limited options for safety, Palestinians are taking refuge in U.N. schools and dwindling safe areas. Humanitarian organizations have urgently called for the establishment of passageways for aid, warning that medical facilities inundated with casualties are depleting their resources.

Gaza’s power authority indicated that its only power plant would soon exhaust its fuel reserves, plunging the territory into darkness after Israel severed energy supplies. Previously, Palestinians had depended on generators to power their residences, workplaces, and healthcare centers, but now find themselves unable to import fuel.

Health organizations are sounding alarms as medical provisions run out. The World Health Organization reported that its pre-stored supplies for seven hospitals in Gaza are already depleted. Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) mentioned that two of its hospitals in Gaza are running low on surgical instruments, antibiotics, and fuel.

Israel has activated 360,000 reserve troops and is increasingly inclined to conduct a land invasion into Gaza, pressured by public demand to overthrow Hamas, the governing body since 2007 that has maintained control through four previous conflicts.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated unequivocally that Israel would use any means necessary to eliminate any threat, underlining that no restrictions have been placed on military action.

Late Tuesday, Israeli strikes targeted the residential premises of Mohammed Deif, the elusive head of Hamas’ military wing, resulting in the death of his father, brother, and at least two other family members, according to senior Hamas official Bassem Naim.

Exchanges of gunfire across Israel’s northern frontiers with militants in Lebanon and Syria suggest a potential escalation into a broader regional conflict. U.S. President Joe Biden cautioned other nations and armed groups against participating in the war, while the U.S. hastens the supply of armaments and military equipment to Israel.

Israeli authorities reported that the conflict has resulted in more than 1,200 deaths, including 155 military personnel, numbers not seen since the 1973 war with Egypt and Syria. In Gaza, authorities report 1,055 deaths, a figure that Israel claims includes hundreds of Hamas fighters.

Civil unrest has also extended to the West Bank and East Jerusalem, resulting in additional fatalities and restrictions on movement.

In Gaza, more than a quarter of a million people have been displaced, according to the U.N., the highest number since a 2014 Israeli offensive displaced about 400,000. Most are seeking refuge in U.N.-run schools. Damage to three water and sanitation facilities has left 400,000 people without these essential services.

Evacuations have also been carried out for tens of thousands of individuals residing in southern Israel.

Contributors to this report include Shurafa from Gaza City, Gaza Strip, and Big Big News writers Amy Teibel and Isabel DeBre in Jerusalem, as well as Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Israel-Hamas Conflict

More about Israel-Hamas Conflict

• [UN’s World Health Organization on Gaza Crisis]
• [U.S. Military Aid to Israel]
• [Historical Context of Israel-Hamas Conflict]
• [Humanitarian Groups’ Plea for Gaza]
• [Israeli Defense Strategy]
• [Lebanese Militant Group Hezbollah]
• [Impact of the Conflict on West Bank and East Jerusalem]
• [U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees]
• [Israeli Public Response and Reservist Mobilization]
• [Doctors Without Borders in Gaza]