3,000 dead as Israeli ground incursion into Gaza looms

TDT | Manama                                 

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

On the fourth day of the conflict, the death toll from the Israel-Hamas conflict passed 3,000, with Israel claiming that it has recaptured most of the border areas.

Fears of a regional conflagration have surged amid speculations of a looming Israeli ground incursion into Gaza, the crowded enclave that is home to around 2 million Palestinians.

The Israeli army has called up 300,000 reservists for its ‘Swords of Iron’ campaign and massed tanks and heavy armour near Gaza and on the northern border with Lebanon.

The United Nations said yesterday that the total siege of Gaza that was declared by Israel is prohibited under international law.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply distressed” by the siege announcement and warned Gaza’s already dire humanitarian situation will now “only deteriorate exponentially”.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk said yesterday that imposing “sieges that endanger the lives of civilians by depriving them of goods essential for their survival is prohibited under international humanitarian law”.

Rafah, the sole border crossing point of Gaza with Egypt, has been hit by Israeli air strikes for the third time in 24 hours. The EU, France, and the Arab nations have called for sustaining the EU financial aid for Palestine.

HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, was reported by AFP to have said, while meeting Palestinian president, that talks are on to contain the conflict.

Four Palestinian journalists were reported dead in air strikes conducted by Israel whereas another report, that cites the Israeli army, said 1,500 bodies of Hamas supporters have been found in Israel in areas around the Gaza Strip.