As it gets ready for an all-out ground attack to “destroy” Hamas, Israel has texted Gazan citizens telling them to immediately flee south to Egypt.
That comes after yet another night of catastrophic airstrikes on the region, which saw the horrific war’s death toll reach 3,000.
Why the need for this warning?
Israel is getting set to exact revenge as the first of 300,000 troops arrives on the border, prepared for a full-scale ground invasion.
Israel retaliated with unrelenting bombings on the Gaza Strip, pummeling the city with 600 warplanes and 300 rocket launchers, in response to Hamas’ threat to execute some of the around 150 civilian hostages.
This morning, before dawn, fireballs frequently lit up Gaza City as explosions and sirens wailed.
Israel’s military claimed to have regained complete control over the border and to have found the bodies of about 1,500 Hamas fighters.
In preparation for a ground attack, the Israeli army has gathered tanks, artillery, and thousands of elite commandos.
What then happens to civilians and other government establishments?
Military spokesman Richard Hecht responded that if there is a shooter shooting rockets from there, it becomes a military target when asked whether Israel considered Hamas’ civil government, including the parliament and ministries, acceptable targets.
In a devastating speech, the nation’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, declared Hamas to be worse than ISIS and pledged to wipe them out.
“Children were executed and entire families were exterminated by Arab Terrorists,” shouted Netanyahu.
“There were horrors, which I won’t go into detail about here. We will eliminate Hamas in the same way that the world destroyed ISIS.
According to reports, Israel has warned Egypt that it will attack any trucks using the Rafah crossing to deliver aid to Gaza.
The Red Crescent has sent some medical supplies to Gaza since fighting broke out in the area on Saturday.
Since the Palestinian militant group rushed the border on Saturday and butchered hundreds in a surprise attack, over 3,000 people have died in Israel and Gaza.
Along with blocking access to food, water, and electricity in the Gaza Strip, it has apparently started laying mines.
As of right now, citizens should try to flee through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, according to military spokesman Richard Hecht.
The crossing was later shut down, the army clarified, making it impossible for anyone to enter or exit.
What has the Hamas militants been saying?
On Monday, the armed wing of Hamas declared it will start killing one Israeli prisoner and air footage for every unannounced bombing on a civilian home in Gaza.
An official from the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, claimed that Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza City were to blame for their savage uprising.
They also threatened to “urgently broadcast with audio and video” the barbaric executions of Israeli captive civilians in the way of ISIS if Israel continued to strike back.
Who are the notable casualties among the dead?
According to the New York Times, a senior Israeli military officer revealed that during their multi-pronged attack, Hamas fighters took at least 150 Israelis captive.
And while seven more British are still missing, three of them have been confirmed dead in Israel.
During the horrific attacks on Sunday, the terrorist organisation killed Scot Bernard Cowan, 57.
On Saturday, it was determined that Corporal Nathanel Young, 20, had died while serving in the Israeli Defense Forces.
A UK photojournalist named Daniel Darlington was also killed after going to the music festival that Hamas attacked.
11 other Americans have also been slain in Israel, according to the US government.
Do Israel have enough firepower to overpower the Hamas terrorists?
At the border town of Sderot, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are assembling 173,000 soldiers, including 8,000 special commandos, 300 tanks, artillery pieces, and rocket launchers.
In an unprecedented measure, an additional 300,000 reserve soldiers have been prepared and sent south in advance of the intended invasion.
Israel slapped a “complete siege” on the region on Monday morning, prohibiting the import of all food and fuel into Gaza and cutting off the water supply immediately.
“There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed,” Defence Minister Yoav Gallant ordered.
“We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly.”
After Joe Biden’s assurance of Washington’s “rock solid” backing for Tel Aviv, the US is also transferring a number of warships, notably the USS Gerald Ford, and aircraft to the Mediterranean.
Who is the mastermind behind the Hamas terrorists?
One-eyed Hamas terror boss Mohammed Deif masterminded the carefully planned and deadly assault on Israel.
The 58-year-old man, who is confined to a wheelchair, has survived five attempts to kill him that also resulted in the deaths of his wife and two children.
Deif instructed the militants to destroy Gaza’s perimeter barriers with bulldozers and explosives.
Insiders with Hamas also asserted that Iran was involved in the planning of the brutal assault.