Israel delays Gaza ground assault as Arab nations decry civilian killings
Sandeep Dikshit
New Delhi, October 15
Israel continued its bombing of Gaza Strip that claimed the lives of 300 more civilians in the last 24 hours even as some reports claimed that it had put on hold the ground offensive for a couple of days and offered more time to North Gaza residents to evacuate.
Death toll 3,600
Palestine 2,300
Israel 1,300
On a parallel track, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken extended his Middle East tour and will return to Tel Aviv on Monday amid indications that Iran was getting restive over the continuing and escalating humanitarian crises due to the bombings and the blockade. Iran has already warned of “far-reaching consequences” if Israel’s bombardment on Gaza civilians was not stopped.
With 300 more killed, the death toll in Gaza Strip crossed 2,300 while 10,000 were injured (on Sunday morning), according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel also upped its toll of soldiers who have died from 222 to 274, of the total 1,300 Israelis dead so far, most of them in the initial hours of the Hamas attack on October 7.
Israel claimed that the offensive was being put on hold for a couple of days due to impending bad weather that would make it difficult for its ground forces and drones to operate. US President Joe Biden on Sunday drew attention to the plight of civilians, saying, “We must not lose sight of the fact that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians had nothing to do with Hamas’ appalling attacks, and are suffering as a result of them.”
An outcome of the worldwide urging to ease the humanitarian suffering of civilians in Gaza was that Israel was restoring water supply to southern Gaza. It had earlier stopped the flow of water as part of its siege of the Hamas-ruled territory since the war broke out last weekend. Israel was also walking back on its bravado of taking on all adversaries by dialling down its tensions with Hezbollah of Lebanon on its northern borders. If Hezbollah restrains itself, Israel would respect the situation along the border as it is today, said the Israeli Defence Minister.
Blinken visited six Arab countries and is currently in Egypt. The common message from all the Arab capitals has been a complete opposition to Israel punishing the entire population of Gaza for Hamas’ assault. His extended shuttle diplomacy reflects the US worry about the fighting spilling over to the entire region. US NSA Jake Sullivan also did not rule out Iran getting engaged in some way and said the US is prepared for every possible contingency.
The US has already deployed an aircraft carrier group equipped with fighter jets and lethal missiles while another such group is on the way to the Mediterranean to deter Iran.
Biden dials Netanyahu, Abbas
US President Joe Biden reiterated US’ support for Israel and emphasised the need for humanitarian aid for Palestinians as he held separate phone calls with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
Israel PM holds emergency meet
PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday convened a meeting of Israel’s expanded emergency Cabinet for the first time and said the country was ready to “demolish Hamas” in Gaza.
2 Indian-origin Israeli women officers killed
- Two Indian-origin Israeli women security officers were killed in the Hamas attack on October 7
- The victims are Lt Or Moses and Inspector Kim Dokraker
- 2 flights bring back 471 more Indians
One dead in Hezbollah attack on north Israel
- Lebanese Hezbollah fighters launched a missile at an Israeli northern border village on Sunday, killing one person and injuring 3
