{"id":10454,"date":"2023-10-22T13:46:28","date_gmt":"2023-10-22T13:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2023\/10\/22\/israel-warns-gaza-airstrikes-will-intensify-and-hits-west-bank-ahead-of-wars-next-stage\/"},"modified":"2023-10-22T13:46:28","modified_gmt":"2023-10-22T13:46:28","slug":"israel-warns-gaza-airstrikes-will-intensify-and-hits-west-bank-ahead-of-wars-next-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2023\/10\/22\/israel-warns-gaza-airstrikes-will-intensify-and-hits-west-bank-ahead-of-wars-next-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel warns Gaza airstrikes will intensify and hits West Bank ahead of war\u2019s \u2018next stage\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      Israel\u2019s military said it would increase its aerial bombardment of Gaza, and carried out an airstrike on what it said was a militant compound under a mosque in the occupied West Bank, as it signaled it was readying for a new phase of war against Hamas.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      As the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) prepares for a potential ground operation, it has amassed huge numbers of troops outside Gaza and pounded the densely populated enclave with near-constant airstrikes since Hamas\u2019 deadly October 7 attack on Israel.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      \u201cWe will increase our strikes, minimize the risk to our troops in the next stages of the war, and we will intensify the strikes, starting from today,\u201d Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, said Saturday, adding that a ground offensive in Gaza would be launched when the conditions were right.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      \u201cWe continue to destroy terror targets ahead of the next stage of the war, and are focusing on our readiness to the next stage,\u201d he said.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      The IDF on Sunday launched an airstrike on the Al-Ansar mosque in the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which it said was being used by militant groups to plan for \u201can imminent terror attack.\u201d It wound not say whether the strike came from a jet, in what would be the first fighter jet strike in the West Bank in nearly two decades.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      Three people were killed in the Israeli strike, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement on Sunday.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      Since the war erupted two weeks ago, violence has flared in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinians have been killed in confrontations with both Israeli forces and settlers.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      Two people were killed following clashes in the West Bank cities of Toubas and Nablus, bringing the death toll in the occupied Palestinian territory to at least 90 since October 7, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Sunday.  <\/p>\n<div class=\"gallery-inline gallery--hidden\">\n<div class=\"gallery-inline__main\">\n<div class=\"gallery-inline__container\">\n<div class=\"gallery-inline__slides\">                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <\/div>\n<p>        <button class=\"gallery-inline__prev-overlay\"><\/button>        <button class=\"gallery-inline__next-overlay\"><\/button>      <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h5 class=\"gallery-inline__headline\">In pictures: The deadly clashes in Israel and Gaza<\/h5>\n<div class=\"gallery-inline__counter\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-inline__controls\">        <button class=\"gallery-inline__prev\">          Prev                  <\/button>        <button class=\"gallery-inline__next\">          Next                  <\/button>      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"subheader\">    Ground incursion looms<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      In a statement, the IDF confirmed it had dropped the flyers, but said there was \u201cno intention to consider those who have not evacuated from the affected area of fighting as a member of the terrorist group.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      The IDF \u201ctreats civilians as such, and does not target them,\u201d the statement added.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      Israeli war planes have been pounding Gaza, leveling entire neighborhoods, including schools and mosques. Israel says it strikes Hamas targets and that the group has used civilians as human shields.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      As of Saturday, Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 4,300 people in Gaza, including hundreds of women and children, according to the Hamas-run government media office in Gaza.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      More than 1 million residents in northern Gaza have been told by Israel to leave their homes and move to the south.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      Israel has also ordered the evacuation of more than 20 hospitals in northern Gaza where thousands of patients are being treated, according to the United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent, which say the order could be tantamount to a death sentence.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      The IDF has said it does not target hospitals, though the UN and Doctors Without Borders say Israeli airstrikes have hit medical facilities, including hospitals and ambulances.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      Israel has offered no timeline for the possible ground offensive on Gaza, but military officials have repeatedly told troops an incursion is imminent.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      The Israeli Military Chief of Staff, Herzl Halevi, told IDF commanders Saturday that the military will initiate an operation to \u201cdestroy\u201d Hamas.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      \u201cWe\u2019ll enter the Gaza Strip. We\u2019ll embark on an operational and professional task to destroy Hamas operatives and infrastructures,\u201d the chief said in comments to the Golani Brigade of the IDF.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      The United States and its allies have urged Israel to be strategic and clear about its goals during any ground invasion of Gaza, warning against a prolonged occupation and placing a particular emphasis on avoiding civilian casualties.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      Meanwhile, the US military is sending more missile defense systems to the Middle East and placing additional US troops on prepare-to-deploy orders in response to escalations throughout the region in recent days.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Saturday he had \u201cactivated the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery as well as additional Patriot battalions to locations throughout the region to increase force protection for US forces.\u201d   <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      The order for troops to prepare for deployment is meant \u201cto increase their readiness and ability to quickly respond as required,\u201d he said.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      Both the THAAD and Patriots systems are air defense systems designed to shoot down short, medium and intermediate ballistic missiles.  <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subheader\">    \u2018Catastrophic\u2019 humanitarian situation<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      Conditions in Gaza have become increasingly dire following two weeks of bombardment and a complete siege by Israel, which was unleashed in response to a rampage by Hamas that killed more than 1,400 people in Israel.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      Hamas fighters have also abducted about 210 people into Gaza as hostages, according to an estimate released Saturday by the IDF. Two American hostages, a mother and her 17-year-old daughter, were released Friday.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      A humanitarian aid truck entered the border from Egypt to Gaza through the Rafah crossing on Sunday, a day after the first convoy of 20 trucks carrying food, water, medicine and medical supplies was allowed through following intense diplomatic efforts.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      Seventeen aid trucks were preparing to enter the strip through the Rafah crossing on Sunday, the Egyptian Red Crescent said.  <\/p>\n<div class=\"graphic\">\n<div class=\"graphic__anchor\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      But aid workers and international leaders have warned that much more is needed to combat the \u201ccatastrophic\u201d humanitarian situation in the enclave that is home to more than 2 million people.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has stressed that \u201cthe needs are far higher\u201d than the aid people in Gaza have received.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      The Ministry of Health in Gaza said the initial aid convoy constituted \u201conly 3% of the daily health and humanitarian needs that used to enter the Gaza Strip before the aggression.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      From Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, head of the Palestinian National Initiative Mustafa Barghouti said Gaza needs \u201c7,000 trucks of immediate aid,\u201d adding, \u201c20 trucks will not really change much.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      None of those 20 trucks brought fuel to the enclave, raising concerns as it is needed to run hospitals and to desalinate or treat water, according to aid agencies.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      Citing an acute shortage of food, water, power, and medical supplies that is pushing civilian lives in Gaza \u201cto the edge of catastrophe,\u201d the UN\u2019s World Food Programme (WFP) said it urgently requires $74 million to sustain its emergency response in Gaza for the next 90 days.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      The appeal came in a Palestinian Territories situation report Saturday that said the coastal enclave\u2019s stores have food reserves of less than a week and that the ability to replenish these stocks is \u201ccompromised by damaged roads, safety concerns, and fuel shortages.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      Three WFP trucks were part of the convoy of that moved through the Rafah crossing into Gaza on Saturday. Another 40 WFP trucks are waiting at Al-Arish, Egypt, to enter Gaza, the report said.  <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subheader\">    Wider conflict<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      As it prepares for the next stage of war, the Israeli military has warned other regional actors against getting involved in the conflict.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      Conricus, the IDF spokesperson, said Sunday the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah is \u201cplaying a very dangerous game\u201d that could drag Lebanon \u201cinto a war that it will gain nothing from.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      Conricus said Hezbollah has been attacking Israeli positions near the Lebanon border, which had led to both civilian and military casualties.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      In response, the IDF has used tanks, drones, artillery, and infantry to strike various Hezbollah infrastructure, as well as Hezbollah squads manning anti-tank missiles, he added.\u00a0  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      On Sunday, Israel\u2019s Ministry of Defense and the IDF announced the expansion of a state-funded evacuation plan to 14 additional communities in northern areas near the border with Lebanon. The evacuation, which is voluntary, was initially rolled out on Monday for 28 communities. Around 123,000 civilians had been evacuated from their homes in northern and southern Israel as of Friday.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\">      Meanwhile, Syrian state news agency, citing an unnamed military source, reported that Israel had targeted airports in the capital Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo at around 5:25 a.m. on Sunday morning, damaging runways and putting both out of service. The agency reported that one worker at Damascus airport was killed and another injured, and all air traffic was being diverted to the city of Latakia.  <\/p>\n\n<div>This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Israel\u2019s military said it would increase its aerial bombardment of Gaza, and carried out an airstrike on what it said was a militant compound under a mosque in the occupied West Bank, as it signaled it was readying for a new phase of war against Hamas. As the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) prepares for a <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":10455,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-10454","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10454\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}