Hundreds of thousands of civilians fled the northern part of the Gaza Strip this weekend ahead of an expected Israeli ground offensive. Here’s what you need to know:
Summary
Hundreds of thousands of civilians fled the northern part of the Gaza Strip this weekend ahead of an expected Israeli ground offensive. Here’s what you need to know:
- At least 1,400 Israelis have been killed so far, with more than 1,300 dying in the Oct. 7 Hamas surprise attack, the deadliest day in Israel’s history. More than 2,800 Palestinians have been killed so far, although it is unclear how many are civilians and how many are terrorists.
- The Israeli siege is putting Gaza hospitals under severe strain. Food, power, and medicine are in short supply, and thousands of patients are running out of options.
- The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt remains largely closed, and reportedly hundreds of tons of aid supplies are stuck on the Egyptian side amid Israeli airstrikes. Egypt pledged to help evacuate foreign citizens through the border crossing, but it’s unclear how many have actually been allowed into Egypt.
- President Joe Biden is considering making a trip to Israel as a show of solidarity, akin to his trip to Ukraine earlier this year. Any presidential visit to a war zone will come with a host of security and operational challenges, and the White House is tight-lipped about whether or when Biden will make the trip.
- Israel ordered the evacuation of 28 villages near the Israel-Lebanon border after Hezbollah, a Lebanese terrorist organization backed by Iran, attacked five Israeli positions near the northern border.
- The New York Times covered the Biden administration’s efforts to deter Iran and Hezbollah from widening the Israel-Gaza war into a regional conflict. Two aircraft carriers have been deployed to the eastern Mediterranean while diplomats have sent back-channel messages through Qatar, Oman and China to warn the Islamic Republic against intervening further.
- CNN elaborated on the “Gaza metro,” the underground tunnel complex built by Hamas beneath the Gaza Strip. The tunnels, which Hamas claims are more than 311 miles long, are used “to transport people and goods; to store rockets and ammunition caches; and house Hamas command and control centers, all away from the prying eyes of the IDF’s aircraft and surveillance drones.”
- NBC News profiled Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas who Israel has declared is “a dead man walking.” Sinwar is believed to be the man running day-to-day operations in the Gaza Strip from somewhere in the tunnels underneath the territory. Sinwar was previously imprisoned by Israel for killing Israeli soldiers but was one of more than 1,000 Palestinians released in the 2011 in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
- The Wall Street Journal reported on the efforts of dozens of countries who are trying to identify their citizens who are being held captive in Gaza. The more than 150 hostages are believed to be from around 30 different countries, with many holding dual citizenship with Israel.
- The New York Post covered the IDF’s release of bodycam video footage recorded by a Hamas gunman who fired on the homes of Israeli civilians. The video depicts the terrorist shooting at innocents in an Israeli community before eventually being shot and killed by Israeli forces.
- According to National Review, Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) has so far rescued 96 Americans who were stuck in Israel after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War. Mills personally traveled to Israel and shepherded 77 people home.
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© Dominic Moore, 2023
