Unveiling the True Face of Hamas: Israel Intensifies Gaza Offensive

Israel has intensified its attack on Gaza in response to the recent Hamas assault. As Israeli soldiers regain control of villages from the Islamist group's fighters, they have come across evidence of the harsh treatment inflicted upon civilians.

During the October 7 assault by Hamas, at least 1,200 individuals lost their lives in Israel, with thousands more sustaining injuries. Armed militants breached the heavily fortified border, infiltrating into Israel, where they targeted homes, wreaked havoc on farms and communities, and even took around 150 hostages back to Gaza.

In Kfar Aza, a kibbutz located in southern Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) informed CNN that militants perpetrated a "massacre," in which women, children, toddlers, and elderly individuals were brutally slain, resembling the brutal tactics associated with ISIS.

Just under 20 kilometers (12 miles) from there, the agricultural community of Beeri suffered extensively, with over 100 corpses discovered. Eyewitnesses recounted how the attackers progressed from one house to another, forcibly entering residences and carrying out the execution of innocent civilians.

The government media office stated that all essential services in Gaza rely on electricity, and it is impossible to partially operate them using generators because fuel supplies are being prevented through the Rafah gate. Furthermore, as speculation of a potential Israeli ground incursion into Gaza increases, the IDF has increased the presence of troops and tanks along the border.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared that he has removed all restrictions on the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in their battle against Hamas, asserting that this robust response will bring about lasting transformations in Gaza. "Gaza will undergo a permanent shift - they will deeply lament this pivotal moment," Gallant emphasized.

Smoke rises after Israeli strikes on the seaport of Gaza City on October 10.

Mohammed Salem/Reuters

That has deepened fears that Palestinian civilian casualties will continue to rise in the days ahead as Israel responds to the worst attack on its territory in decades.

Residential areas in the eastern part of Jabalia and the Qizan al-Najjar region of Khan Yunis were heavily bombed, with civilians homes and roads as the main targets, resulting in "direct injuries among citizens," according to the Palestinian Ministry of Interior Affairs.

On Tuesday, President Biden assured that the US will provide Israel with the necessary tools for self-defense and is ramping up military assistance to the country.

In addition, there is a need for ammunition and interceptors to restock the Iron Dome anti-missile system. The IDF reported that the initial shipment of US weapons after the Hamas attack reached Israel on Tuesday evening.

Furthermore, President Biden stated that 14 Americans have lost their lives, and there are also American citizens who are being held hostage by Hamas. He condemned Hamas' actions as "utterly reprehensible" and reminiscent of the brutalities committed by ISIS.

Humanitarian crisis

As Israel intensifies its bombardment for the fifth consecutive day, civilians in Gaza find themselves trapped in a worsening humanitarian crisis. The Israeli government's implementation of a "complete siege" of the enclave, as instructed by the Defense Minister on Monday, is beginning to have devastating consequences. This siege entails the halt of vital resources such as electricity, food, water, and fuel, predominantly controlled by Israel.

Video Ad Feedback

See the devastation in Gaza after Israeli strikes

02:16

- Source:

CNN

Israeli airstrikes are impeding the ability of medical teams to reach victims, says the UN. The UN's Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) officials have reported the deaths of four of their employees and damage to at least 14 facilities in Gaza due to direct or indirect effects of the bombings.

According to Juliette Touma, the Director of Communications at UNRWA, the agency has been unable to provide any assistance to Gaza since Saturday. Both Erez and Kerem Shalom, the two crossings through which residents from Gaza can enter Israel, are currently closed, under the control of Israel.

Israeli warplanes targeted the sole border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Tuesday, according to Eyad al-Bozom, the spokesperson for the Palestinian Interior Ministry. Known as the Rafah crossing, it is the only escape route available for those in Gaza who wish to leave. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed their strike on Tuesday, specifically mentioning the underground tunnel in the Rafah area that was utilized for the illicit transportation of weapons and equipment.

Plea for hostages

Evacuation of citizens from Israel intensifies as the conflict grows more volatile. The US State Department is actively engaging with multiple airlines, urging them to resume travel to and from Israel, ensuring the safe departure of people.

On Tuesday, October 10, in Ashkelon, Israel, mourners gathered at the burial site of Eden Guez, who tragically lost her life while attending a music festival targeted by Gaza terrorists. The Nova Festival, marred by this devastating attack, claimed the lives of at least 260 individuals, as confirmed by Israeli authorities.

Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters

Smoke rises after Israeli strikes on the seaport of Gaza City on October 10.

Mohammed Salem/Reuters

Sergey Ponomarev/The New York Times/Redux

Palestinians mourn during the funeral of a relative killed in an Israeli strike, in Gaza City on October 10.

Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

Israeli soldiers take position in Kfar Aza near the border with Gaza on October 10.

Atef Safadi/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Stranded travelers wait to be booked on a flight at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv on October 10.

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux

Palestinians walk amid the rubble following Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 10.

Fatima Shbair/AP

Ohad Zwigenberg/AP

People gather around the bodies of two Palestinian reporters, Mohammed Soboh and Said al-Tawil, who were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 10.

Fatima Shbair/AP

Israelis mourn as they attend the funeral of Israel Defense Forces soldier Noam Elimeleh Rothenberg at Mount Herzel Cemetery in Jerusalem, on October 10.

Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images

A family takes shelter at a neighbor's house after their home was damaged in an Israeli airstrike in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.

Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux

Children run for cover as bombs fall near the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 9.

Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux

A photo from a wedding is seen on the ground of a building in Ashkelon that was hit by rockets from Gaza on October 9.

People take shelter in Jerusalem on October 9.

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux

The ruins of the Yassin mosque are seen in the Shati refugee camp just outside Gaza City on October 9.

Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux

Sama Alwadia, a six-month-old infant, was found alive under the debris in Gaza City on October 9. Despite miraculously surviving the initial attack, she tragically succumbed to her injuries during medical treatment.

Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Lightning strikes over Gaza City following an Israeli bombardment on October 9.

Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

Israeli soldiers take position near the border between Gaza and Israel on October 9.

A Palestinian man mourns over the body of his nephew killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 9.

Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Israeli security and emergency officials respond after a rocket landed in the Israeli settlement of Beitar Ilit, in the occupied West Bank, on October 9.

Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

Israeli soldiers work on a tank at the border between Israel and Gaza on October 9.

Ilia Yefimovich/dpa/picture-alliance/AP

Palestinians remove a body from the rubble of a building after an Israeli airstrike on the Jebaliya refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.

Ramez Mahmoud/AP

A plume of smoke rises in the sky over Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on October 9.

The mother of Israeli Col. Roi Levy cries during her son's funeral at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on October 9.

Maya Alleruzzo/AP

Palestinians inspect damage from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City's Shati refugee camp on October 9.

Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

Israelis view a damaged residential building in Ashkelon after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza on October 9.

Erik Marmor/AP

Tali Touito reacts as she describes how Hamas gunmen attacked and took over the police station on her street, in Sderot, Israel, on Sunday, October 8.

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux

Fire and smoke rise from Gaza City following an Israeli airstrike on October 8.

A relative of an Israeli missing since the attacks is overcome by emotion during a press conference in Ramat Gan, Israel, on October 8.

Maya Alleruzzo/AP

Palestinians inspect a mosque destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 8.

Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

An Israeli soldier prays standing in front of a tank on the outskirts of the northern town of Kiryat Shmona on October 8.

Jalaa Marey/AFP/Getty Images

Oded Balilty/AP

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from Gaza on October 8.

Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

Palestinians search the rubble of a home in Khan Younis that was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on October 8.

Palestinian citizens inspect damage to their homes caused by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 8.

Ahmad Hasballah/Getty Images

Rockets launched from Gaza are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system on October 8.

Amir Cohen/Reuters

Palestinian children look toward the sky at the sound of airstrikes at a United Nations-run school in Gaza on Saturday, October 7.

Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux

From the window of his family's apartment, a man surveys damage from a rocket that struck a parking lot in Ashkelon on October 7.

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux

Palestinians gather around an Israeli army vehicle that Palestinian militants drove from Israel into Gaza on October 7.

Palestinians break into the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, after gunmen infiltrated parts of southern Israel on October 7.

Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa/Reuters

Police officers evacuate a woman and a child from a site hit by a rocket in Ashkelon on October 7.

Tsafrir Abayov/AP

Israeli police take cover in Ashkelon as sirens wail while rockets are fired from Gaza into Israel on October 7.

Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images

Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

An Israeli woman reacts over the body of her relative who was killed in the southern Israeli city of Sderot on October 7.

Baz Ratner/AP

Children are seen in a damaged house in Gaza after Israeli airstrikes on October 7.

Vehicles in Ashkelon burn as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7.

Ilan Rosenberg/Reuters

A man in Ashkelon runs after rockets were launched from Gaza on October 7.

Amir Cohen/Reuters

Israelis donate blood in Jerusalem on October 7.

Maya Alleruzzo/AP

Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux

Outside of a hospital in Gaza, men sit next to the covered body of a Palestinian militant killed during Saturday's clashes.

Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty Images

Relatives of Palestinians killed on Saturday, October 7, mourn at the morgue of a hospital in Gaza.

Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

A woman stands in a room damaged by rockets in Ashkelon on October 7.

Amir Cohen/Reuters

A building in Tel Aviv is ablaze Saturday, October 7, following rocket attacks from Gaza.

Itai Ron/Reuters

Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

People take cover in a bomb shelter in Rishon Lezion, Israel, as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7.

Hadas Parush/Reuters

Rockets are fired toward Israel from Gaza on October 7.

Fatima Shbair/AP

In pictures: The deadly clashes in Israel and Gaza

Rockets were launched into Israeli territory from Syria, according to the Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday. The rockets landed in open areas. As strikes on Gaza persist, Hamas has issued a warning that hostages will be executed, leaving families in Israel with minimal information about their missing loved ones.

Israel's Ambassador to the US, Michael Herzog, made a compelling plea to the global community to exert pressure on Hamas for the immediate and unconditional release of all individuals held hostage. During an interview with CNN, Herzog acknowledged that they are currently working towards gaining a comprehensive understanding of the exact number of hostages, their identities, and their current conditions. He expressed uncertainty regarding any possible casualties among the hostages.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the American military has a team of special operators ready to assist the Israeli military in intelligence gathering and operational planning in response to potential hostage situations caused by Hamas. Reporting contributed by CNN's Richard Allen Greene, Ibrahim Dahman, Nadeen Ebrahim, Abeer Salman, Kareem Khadder, Xiaofei Xu, Eve Brennan, Raja Razek, Lauren Izso, Celine Alkhaldi, Kaitlan Collins, Mostafa Salem, Tamara Qiblawi, and Elliott Gotkine.