On Tuesday, the Palestinian group Hamas issued a threat, stating that ifIsrael continued its deadly bombardment of Gaza without prior notice, theywould execute some of the approximately 150 hostages they held.
This warning coincided with the Israeli military’s claim that they hadregained “full control” of the breached Gaza fence, which had beeninfiltrated by Hamas gunmen on Saturday.
Daniel Hagari, spokesperson for the Israeli military, noted that no Hamasfighters had crossed the fence in the past 24 hours but did not rule outthe possibility that some gunmen might still be within Israeli-controlledareas.
To prevent further infiltrations, the military is currently placing minesin the sections where the barrier was breached. Israel had already imposeda complete siege on Gaza on Monday, leading to the cutoff of essentialsupplies like food, water, and electricity, raising concerns about adeteriorating humanitarian situation.
Israel, reeling from what it considered an unprecedented assault by Hamas,likened it to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Thedeath toll in Israel had risen to over 900, as they responded with a seriesof intense strikes on Gaza, resulting in a death toll of 687 there.
Read Top Stories
Hamas made a grim statement on Monday, revealing that Israeli airstrikeshad killed four of its hostages and later suggested that they might takematters into their own hands.
The armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, warned that anytargeting of their people without warning would lead to the execution ofone of their civilian hostages.