Responding to Hamas attack, Israel declares 'complete siege' of Gaza Strip
(Baonghean.vn) - Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that electricity, fuel and food supplies to Gaza will be cut off.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has announced a blockade of Gaza amid fierce fighting between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas militants, RT reported. The announcement came after Palestinian militants launched a major attack on Israel on October 7, killing and injuring hundreds of people.
“I have ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip,” Gallant said after a situation assessment meeting at the IDF Southern Command on October 9. “There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed,” the official added, according to the Times of Israel.
Israel's main military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, also announced on Monday that Israel had regained control of all towns in the Gaza border area and that there was little or no fighting in the communities hit by Hamas militants in the weekend offensive.
“There may still be terrorist elements in the area,” Hagari admitted, saying that clashes between the IDF and Hamas militants were “localized.”
The spokesman added that IDF tanks and drones are now controlling openings in the border fence to prevent further infiltration by Palestinian militants and that 15 of the 24 communities in the border area have been evacuated.
Meanwhile, the IDF said it was carrying out “widespread” airstrikes against multiple Hamas positions across Gaza.
The latest escalation between Hamas and Israel began early on October 7, when the Palestinian “resistance group” launched a surprise attack on multiple locations along the Gaza Strip border. Gunmen stormed several military facilities and infiltrated deep into Israeli territory, attacking several settlements and firing thousands of rockets. Israeli officials estimate that more than 700 people were killed in the Hamas attack and more than 2,200 were injured.
In response, Israel has launched massive air strikes on Gaza and appears to be preparing a ground operation against the Palestinian territory. Troops have been redeployed en masse to the south of the country and reservists have been called up. Israel officially declared a state of war on October 8, invoking Article 40 of its Basic Law.
