In a remarkable show of unity, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined with a top political rival on Wednesday to create a war-time Cabinet overseeing the fight to avenge a stunning weekend attack by Hamas militants.
The Cabinet, which will focus only on issues of war, will be led by Netanyahu, Benny Gantz — a senior opposition figure and former defense minister — and current Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The new Cabinet establishes a degree of unity after years of bitterly divisive politics, and as the Israeli military appears increasingly likely to launch a ground offensive into Gaza. The war has already claimed at least 2,300 lives on both sides.
The Israeli government is under intense public pressure to topple Hamas after its militants stormed through a border fence Saturday and massacred hundreds of Israelis in their homes, on the streets, and at an outdoor music festival.
In the sealed-off Gaza Strip ruled by Hamas, Palestinian suffering mounted as Israeli bombardment demolished neighborhoods and the only power plant ran out of fuel, AP reported.
Israel’s increasingly destructive airstrikes in Gaza have flattened entire city blocks and left unknown numbers of bodies beneath debris. A ground offensive in Gaza, whose 2.3 million residents are densely packed into a tiny, coastal strip, would likely result in a surge of casualties for fighters on both sides.
Militants in Gaza are holding an estimated 150 people taken hostage from Israel — soldiers, men, women, children, and older adults — and they have fired thousands of rockets into Israel over the past five days.
Israel stopped entry of food, water, fuel and medicine into Gaza, a 40 km-long (25-mile) strip of land wedged among Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea that is home to 2.3 million Palestinians. The sole remaining access from Egypt was shut down Tuesday after airstrikes hit near the border crossing.
At least 169 Israel soldiers killed in war with Hamas: Army
At least 169 Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting with Palestinian Islamist group Hamas after its militants launched a shock cross-border attack, the Army said on Wednesday.
“As of this morning, we’ve informed the families of 169 fallen IDF (Army) soldiers,” military spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters, adding that the families of 60 people abducted and taken to Gaza have also been contacted.
He said no new infiltrations by Gaza militants had been reported over the past two days, but added that “hundreds of bodies” of slain gunmen had still not been cleared from the border. – AFP
Israel strikes the Islamic University of Gaza
Aircraft struck the Islamic University of Gaza on Wednesday, Israel Defense Forces said.
According to Israel, the university was being used as a Hamas training camp for military intelligence operatives, as well as for the development and production of weapons. The IDF also says Hamas used university conferences to raise funds for terrorism, and that the university maintained close ties with the senior leadership of Hamas. – AP
Lebanon ‘infiltration’ ruled out
The Israeli army said Wednesday an “error” was behind reports of a suspected “aerial infiltration” from Lebanon, and that a rocket alert in the north was due to a launch from Gaza.
“There are no launches at this point from Lebanon. There are no alerts,” army spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement. – AFP
Arab League chief calls for immediate ceasefire
The Arab League chief called for an immediate ceasefire in the war between Israel and the Palestinian militants in Gaza.
Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the secretary general of the Cairo-based organization, warned about “serious possibilities” of further escalation and an expansion of fighting, in an apparent reference to the Lebanese Hezbollah militant groups.
Aboul Gheit’s comments came at the opening of an emergency meeting of the Arab foreign ministers in the Egyptian capital on the Israel-Gaza war.
Conditions in Gaza deteriorating
Conditions in the coastal enclave, a crowded, 40-kilometer long (25-mile) strip of land that is home to 2.3 million people, were deteriorating quickly Wednesday as entire city blocks were reduced to rubble and residents searched for places to go.
Gaza’s Civil Defense Department warned that there were too few rescue teams to search for survivors buried under rubble, and that teams were unable to reach many places because of damage to roads and constant bombardments.
Jordan’s King says no stability in region without emergence of Palestinian State
Jordan’s King Abdullah said on Wednesday no peace was possible in the Middle East without the emergence of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
The escalating violence showed the region would not “enjoy stability, security or peace” without the emergence of a Palestinian state with sovereignty on land that Israel had captured in the 1967 Arab-Israel war.
A two-state solution was the only option, the monarch told deputies in a speech at the opening of a new parliamentary session. – Reuters
India launches ‘Operation Ajay’
India is launching Operation Ajay to facilitate return from Israel of Indians who wish to come back, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Special charter flights and other arrangements being put in place, he said. – PTI
(Disclaimer: This news report was written with inputs from agencies. MTNews takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of reports from all news agencies.)