Israel has levelled entire city blocks in Gaza and destroyed thousands of buildings, while Hamas has now fired more than 5,000 rockets at Israel.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed on a visit to Israel Thursday that the United States will “always” back it but said the Palestinians also have “legitimate aspirations” not represented by militant group Hamas.
“We know Hamas doesn’t represent the Palestinian people, or their legitimate aspirations to live with equal measures of security, freedom, justice, opportunity and dignity.” “Humanitarian aid to Gaza? No electric switch will be turned on, no water tap will be opened and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli abductees are returned home,” he said in a statement.
If Israel does send ground forces into Gaza, it risks walking into a Hamas “trap”, warned a former head of Britain’s MI6 intelligence service, Alex Younger, speaking on BBC radio.“You shouldn’t do what your enemy wants you to do,” he said, arguing the inevitable loss of innocent life would further drive radicalisation and regional sentiment against Israel and its allies.
“Everybody is impacted in Israel,” said Joana Ouisman, 38, a finance executive. “I’ve been watching TV all day for the past three to four days. All I do is cry.”Israel’s war now flaring in the south is further complicated by a threat from the north, the Iran-backed Hezbollah group based in Lebanon.