NEW DELHI: Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians raged for a fifth day on Wednesday after Hamas launched a barbaric ‘surprise attack’ on Israel last weekend which killed at least 2,200 lives on both sides and left several injured.
After the attack, the US moved the aircraft carrier group, USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, to the eastern Mediterranean in order to stand with Israel.
What has happened so far:
1. Earlier on Saturday, Hamas fired as many as 5,000 rockets into Israel after which warning sirens wailed in cities and towns across Israel as people sought refuge in bomb shelters. After this, Israel declared war on the Palestinian militant group Hamas and launched strikes in Gaza.
2. After the attack, Israel also expanded its mobilization of military reservists to 360,000 and vowed to lay total siege to the Gaza Strip on Monday. In an effort to further ratchet up the pressure on Hamas, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza, saying authorities would cut electricity and prevent food and fuel from entering the territory. He said Israel was at war with “human animals,” using the kind of dehumanizing language often heard on both sides at times of soaring tensions.
3. US President Joe Biden on Tuesday continued to condemn the attack by Hamas, calling it an act of “pure unadulterated evil”. State Secretary Antony Blinken is traveling to Israel on an urgent mission to show support for Israel, the State Department said Tuesday.
4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone and thanked him for “providing an update on the ongoing situation”. “People of India stand firmly with Israel in this difficult hour.”
5. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized Israel’s blockade of Gaza, saying cutting off electricity and water is against the Palestinians’ human rights.
6. On Tuesday, Israel recaptured Gaza border areas from Hamas, the fourth day of fierce fighting that has left thousands dead on both sides since the militants launched a surprise attack.
7. The US sent an aircraft carrier and other warships to the eastern Mediterranean as part of efforts to deter an expansion of the conflict and is also providing other assistance, including sharing intelligence with Israel.
According to the Department of Defence, the USD 18 billion nuclear-powered USS Gerald R Ford deployment is not just to deter Hamas, but any country or group that may think of taking advantage of the instability and confusion to ‘pursue their own ends’.
The forces in the Mediterranean area include the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), with its 8 squadrons of attack and support aircraft, and the Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60), as well as the Arleigh Burke-class, guided-missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), USS Ramage (DDG 61), USS Carney (DDG 64), and USS Roosevelt (DDG 80), as per the US Central Command.
Input from agencies





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