Image Credit: Eyad Baba/AFP
Medical sources in Gaza confirmed that at least 232 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air attacks launched after a Hamas offensive against Israel that killed at least 200 citizens.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu in a televised address, had promised that Israel would defeat Hamas, but the fighting “will take time”.
He said “what happened today has not been not seen in Israel, and I will make sure that it does not happen again.”
Netanyahu added Israel will “reach every place Hamas is hiding”, telling residents of Gaza to “leave those places now”.
Referring to Israeli captives being held in Gaza, he said, “I tell Hamas, you are responsible for wellbeing of captives, Israel will settle the score with anyone who harms them.”
According to Al-Jazeera, a medical doctor, Belal Dabour, says one of the hospitals in Gaza he frequented earlier today was jam-packed as families searched frantically for their loved ones who may have been killed or injured amid Israeli attacks.
“It was very crowded. The death toll in Gaza is staggering. You can imagine the number of relatives searching for their loved ones, in addition to people who came to to support their families,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dabour said some were there to donate blood while others showed up to seek refuge in the hospital vicinity.
“They believe hospitals are relatively safe, especially people living by the eastern borders of Gaza. This has been a trend in previous wars,” he added.