Israeli airstrikes in response to Hamas targeted residential buildings andschools across the Gaza Strip, according to UN Human Rights chief VolkerTurk. Turk also emphasized that international law considers “sieges”illegal. He further condemned the “horrifying mass killings by members ofPalestinian armed groups” and stated that the abduction of hostages bythese fighters was also prohibited under international law.
In response to the weekend attacks by Hamas gunmen, the Israeli militarycalled up an unprecedented 300,000 reservists and imposed a completeblockade on the Gaza Strip, indicating a potential ground assault. TheseIsraeli airstrikes, the most severe in the 75-year history of theIsraeli-Palestinian conflict, also struck the premises of the UN relief andworks agency, UNRWA, resulting in civilian casualties.
Israel expressed its intent to seek “mighty revenge” following the Hamasattack, which reportedly caused a significant number of casualties, whileIsraeli airstrikes led to numerous casualties in Gaza, including civilians.Israel’s defense forces claimed that their aircraft targeted militaryobjectives, including weapons storage and manufacturing sites, ascommunicated via social media platform X.
