Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu has promised in a late-night speech to a grieving nation to “crush and destroy” the terrorist organistaion Hamas after Saturday’s brutal attack.
Attacking at sunrise, Hamas storm units executed a series of well-planned attacks using speed boats, paragliders and specialist demolitions teams to breach Israeli defences and storm military bases.
Alongside heavy military losses including 189 soldiers, Israel is also mourning the deaths of thousands of civilians who were killed amid attacks on border settlements which were eventually retaken by the Israeli Defence Forces after two days of heavy fighting.
The next phase of the Israeli response looks to be a full ground invasion of the Gaza Strip with airstrikes currently levelling entire residential blocks in the enclave with columns of tanks and artillery gathering along the border.
Israel has maintained a decades-long siege on Gaza tightly controlling movement as well as the supply of supplies in and out.
Following attacks led by Hamas, Israeli officials announced a total blockade on Gaza is in force meaning “no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu insisted in his speech that Israel will “operate by the rules of war”, this comes amid international concern for civilians trapped in Gaza.
Palestinian health authorities report that more than 1,100 people have been killed by Israeli air strikes on the territory so far.
On Wednesday, Netanyahu and leading Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz announced the formation of a unity government to oversee the war.
Following the announcement Mr Gantz, who is a former Israeli defence minister announced that the time had come to “wipe this thing called Hamas off the face of the Earth”.
In a worrying sign that conflict could still escalate wider, Israeli forces exchanged fire with the Lebanese-bases group Hezbollah on Wednesday.
Backed by Iran, Hezbollah is considered to be better armed and trained than their Palestinian counterparts and the militia’s entry to the conflict would open a second front.
Hezbollah is also understood to possess hundreds of thousands of missiles and rockets which would put Israel’s Iron Dome system under severe pressure.
