Israel presses incursion into Gaza as death toll rises to over 1,800; world leaders express outrage

TDT | Manama                                              

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

After fiercely bombarding Gaza, home to over 2.3 million Palestinians, through air strikes for over a week, and backed by an equally frenzied media propaganda that compared Hamas activists fighting for their homeland to ISIS terrorists, Israel yesterday morning took the offensive to the ground level by conducting raids into the densely populated Palestinian territory.

Encouraged on by the leaders of the Western world and decried by leaders of the Muslim world, Israel backed the ground incursion with air strikes, taking the death toll in Gaza since last week to over 1,800.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said the people in Gaza are going through a genocide. A news report quoted Human Rights Watch as saying that white phosphorous, which burns even metal and causes deaths due to internal-organ failure, is being used by Israel in air strikes.

Yesterday morning, Israel, amid massive bombardments, also asked over a million residents of northern Gaza to flee to the southern side of the Palestinian exclave, within 24 hours. Yesterday morning itself, the United Nations urged Israel to call off the evacuation order and said such movement is impossible without devastating humanitarian consequences and would transform what is already a tragedy to a calamity.

Red Cross said Hamas’ attack on Israel does not justify Gaza’s destruction. World Health Organization termed the evacuation order a death sentence for those already hospitalized.

Israeli evacuation order a ‘crime’

The Arab League termed the Israeli evacuation order a crime and said Israel is carrying out an atrocious act of revenge that is punishing the helpless civilians in Gaza.

Iran asked the US to control Israel to avert a regional war and said the American intention to give a chance for Israel to destroy Gaza is a grave mistake, adding that it is seeking to safeguard Lebanon’s security.

Egypt’s President urged Gazans to stay steadfast and remain on their land. Turkey called the evacuation order unacceptable and inhumane. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised statement on Friday that the Gaza ground operation would lead to unacceptable civilian toll and called to stop the bloodshed.

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas warned of a second Nakba catastrophe in Gaza, referring to the 1948 incident in which 760,000 Palestinians had to flee from their homes during the war that coincided with Israel’s creation.

The Israeli bombardment and the evacuation order caused outrage in the Muslim world, with thousands taking to the streets to show support for Palestine on Friday noon. Rallies that saw people participating in thousands were witnessed from Baghdad and Amman to Jakarta and Islamabad. News reports about protests poured in from around the world. In Bahrain, a protest is scheduled at 3.30pm today in Al-Saya, and in front of the UN headquarters in Geneva in Switzerland.