Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip for a second evening in a row after formally declaring war towards Hamas, the Palestinian group operating the besieged enclave that launched a large-scale assault towards Israel on October 7. The Israeli military says some 100,000 reserve troops have amassed close to the fence with Gaza.
The newest dying toll stands at 493 Palestinians, in keeping with well being officers, and greater than 700 Israelis, in keeping with media experiences.
Israel’s well being ministry says 2,382 Israelis have been handled in hospitals, whereas the Gaza-based Ministry of Health experiences that greater than 2,300 individuals there have been wounded.
Sixteen years of Israeli blockade
Gaza has a inhabitants of about 2.3 million individuals dwelling in one of the densely populated areas in the world. Located between Israel and Egypt on the Mediterranean coast, the strip is about 365sq km (141sq miles).
Since 2007, Israel has maintained strict management over Gaza’s airspace and territorial waters and restricted the motion of products and individuals in and out of Gaza.
Following Hamas’s assault, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to show Gaza right into a “deserted island” and warned its residents to “leave now”.
How the Hamas assault unfolded
On Saturday morning, at about 6:30am (03:30 GMT), Hamas fired an enormous barrage of rockets into southern Israel with sirens heard as far-off as Tel Aviv and Beersheba.
The group mentioned it launched 5,000 rockets in the preliminary barrage. Israel’s army mentioned 2,500 rockets had been fired.
About an hour later, fighters crossed into Israel in an unprecedented multipronged operation by means of land, air and sea. Most fighters entered by means of breaches in safety limitations separating Gaza and Israel.
Hamas’s shock assault got here after Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in current days and a report variety of Palestinians had been killed by Israel in current months.
At 9:45am (06:45 GMT), blasts had been heard in Gaza and at 10am (07:00 GMT) Israel’s army spokesperson mentioned the air pressure was finishing up assaults in Gaza.
Gun battles continued between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters in a number of areas of southern Israel.
Israeli air assaults continued late into the evening as did rocket hearth into southern Israel.
Gaza’s densely populated neighbourhoods
The Gaza Strip contains 5 governorates: North Gaza, Gaza City, Deir el-Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah.
North Gaza extends for 10km (6 miles) and shares the one crossing into Israel by means of Beit Hanoon, also referred to as the Erez crossing.
North Gaza is dwelling to the Jabalia refugee camp, the biggest in the Strip.
Gaza City is the biggest and most populous metropolis inside the Gaza Strip, with greater than 750,000 residents. Rimal, Shujaiya and Tel al-Hawa are amongst its most well-known neighbourhoods.
At the center of the Rimal neighbourhood is al-Shifa Hospital – the biggest medical facility in the Gaza Strip.
Deir el-Balah is one in every of Gaza’s largest agricultural producers. It can be dwelling to 4 refugee camps: Nuseirat, al-Bureij, al-Maghazi and Deir el-Balah.
Gaza’s solely working energy plant is positioned alongside the district’s boundary with Gaza City.
Khan Younis is dwelling to some 430,000 individuals. At its centre is the Khan Younis refugee camp, the place about 90,000 individuals stay.
Rafah is the southernmost district of Gaza with a inhabitants of about 275,000. Rafah can be the title of the crossing with Egypt that’s positioned right here.
Both Israel and Egypt have saved their borders largely shut, and are chargeable for additional deteriorating the already weakened financial and humanitarian scenario.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker?traffic_source=rss