the Israeli air strikes in Gaza, following the release of American hostages by Hamas. Stay informed about the ongoing conflict, international responses, and the humanitarian situation in the region.
GAZA/JERUSALEM, October 21, 2023 : Israel intensified its airstrikes across Gaza overnight on Saturday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration to “fight until victory” in response to the release of the first two hostages held by the ruling Hamas group.
Hostages Released
Netanyahu’s commitment to press forward with Israel’s aerial campaign and the possibility of a ground invasion loomed large as the Israeli military reported that fighter jets had targeted numerous “Hamas terror sites throughout the Gaza Strip,” including command centers and combat positions housed in multi-story buildings.
According to Palestinian media reports, Israeli aircraft struck six homes in northern Gaza, an area already recognized as one of the world’s most densely populated regions. The strikes resulted in at least 19 fatalities and dozens of injuries.
Amid the ongoing conflict, the Israeli military also reported a fresh barrage of rockets launched from Gaza toward southern Israeli border communities early in the morning. A temporary lull was followed by sirens sounding in the port city of Ashdod, located approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the Palestinian enclave, although there was no immediate information on casualties for either incident.
Hamas took a significant step towards de-escalation on Friday by releasing American hostages Judith Tai Raanan, aged 59, and her daughter Natalie, aged 17. They were among approximately 200 individuals kidnapped during Hamas’ cross-border attack on southern Israel on October 7, carried out by militants affiliated with the Islamist movement.
the two released women, flanked by three Israeli soldiers, and holding hands with Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for captives and missing persons.
Uri Raanan, the teenager’s father, reached by phone in Bannockburn, Illinois, outside Chicago, expressed relief, stating, “She sounds very, very good, very happy, and she looks good.”
These two hostages mark the first confirmed releases on both sides of the conflict since Hamas gunmen infiltrated Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,400 individuals, predominantly civilians, in the deadliest single attack on Israelis since the country’s establishment 75 years ago.
The toll on Gaza has been severe, with the Health Ministry reporting that Israel’s retaliatory air and missile strikes have claimed the lives of at least 4,137 Palestinians, including hundreds of children, while over a million people in the besieged territory, out of a population of 2.3 million, have been displaced.
Israel has massed tanks and troops near the fenced border surrounding the small coastal enclave, indicating a planned ground invasion with the objective of neutralizing Hamas. This comes after several inconclusive conflicts dating back to Hamas’ rise to power in Gaza in 2007.
Netanyahu’s statement on Friday night underlined the Israeli government’s determination, saying, “Two of our abductees are at home. We are not giving up on the effort to return all the abducted and missing people. At the same time, we’ll continue to fight until victory.”
Abu Ubaida, a spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, explained that the hostages’ release was in part due to “humanitarian reasons” and in response to mediation efforts led by Qatar.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant acknowledged the challenges ahead, emphasizing that achieving Israel’s objectives would be neither quick nor easy. “We will topple the Hamas organization. We will destroy its military and governing infrastructure. It’s a phase that will not be easy. It will have a price,” Gallant told a parliamentary committee. He further indicated that the subsequent phase would be protracted but aimed at establishing “a completely different security situation” in which Israel faced no threat from Gaza. “It’s not a day, it’s not a week, and unfortunately, it’s not a month,” he added.
In the midst of the heavy bombardment, the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the main Palestinian Christian denomination, reported that Israeli forces had struck the Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City. The church had been serving as a refuge for hundreds of both Christian and Muslim residents. The Israeli military acknowledged that part of the church sustained damage in a strike on a nearby militant command center.
Israel has already issued evacuation orders to all civilians in the northern half of the Gaza Strip, which includes Gaza City. However, many residents have chosen to stay, expressing fears of losing everything and lacking a safe place to go, given that southern areas are also under attack.
Regarding Israel’s response in compliance with the laws of war, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that Israel had the right to defend itself and prevent Iran-backed Hamas from launching further attacks. He emphasized the importance of conducting operations in accordance with international law, humanitarian law, and the law of war.
The United Nations’ humanitarian affairs office reported significant damage to Gaza, with over 140,000 homes affected, nearly a third of all residences in the territory. Of these, nearly 13,000 have been completely destroyed. The focus has turned to delivering aid to Gaza via the Rafah crossing to Egypt, which remains the only access point not controlled by Israel.
President Biden, who recently visited Israel, expressed optimism that aid trucks would reach Gaza within the next 24-48 hours. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited the Rafah checkpoint on Egypt’s side and called for a substantial number of trucks to enter Gaza daily with efficient checks, despite Israel’s insistence on inspections to prevent aid from reaching Hamas.
While Western leaders have primarily supported Israel’s campaign against Hamas, there is growing concern about the welfare of Gaza’s civilian population. Many Muslim-majority nations have called for an immediate ceasefire, and protests demanding an end to the bombardment have been held in cities across the Islamic world.
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where violence has escalated alongside Israel’s operations in Gaza, Israeli troops fatally shot a Palestinian teenager during clashes near the city of Jericho.
Furthermore, the border region between southern Lebanon and northern Israel has witnessed ongoing but limited confrontations between the Israeli military and fighters from the Lebanese Shiite Islamist group Hezbollah. The Israeli military reported on Saturday that a soldier had been killed by a missile attack on the Lebanese border, without providing specific details regarding the timing or location of the incident.
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