Israel intensifies bombing in the Gaza strip, with further strikes in the West Bank

An Israeli military spokesperson has said his country is intensifying their bombing campaign in the Gaza strip as part of the “next stages of the war” against Hamas.

On Saturday, Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari signalled that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) would be stepping up their airstrikes in Gaza. “We will deepen our attacks to minimise the dangers to our forces in the next stages of the war. We are going to increase the attacks, from today” Hagari said. He called on Gaza’s residents to move south “for your own safety”.

Overnight raids on the Gaza Strip killed at least 55 people, the Hamas government said on Sunday. More than 4,300 people have been killed in Gaza in the past two weeks, including more than 1,500 children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Israel has confirmed that 212 people are being held hostage in Gaza. Military spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said on Sunday that Israeli strikes overnight had killed dozens of Palestinian fighters, including the deputy chief of Hamas rocket forces.

According to Reuters, many Palestinians said they had received renewed new warnings from Israel’s military via leaflets and phone messages to move from north Gaza to the south of the strip, with the added message that they “might be identified as an accomplice in a terrorist organisation” if they stayed put. However, there have also been strikes in the South of the country, making it unclear whether moving is truly safe.

The Israeli attacks come after Hamas militants carried out a cross-border attack on southern Israel on 7 October, killing 1,400 people, mainly civilians. For many days, Israeli forces have seemed to be prepared for a possible ground invasion of Gaza.

In addition, Israel said that overnight it hit a “terrorist compound” in Jenin in the West Bank, allegedly including “operatives” from a Hamas cell within a mosque, who were allegedly planning attacks.

The strike was part of surging violence in the West Bank, as the Israeli military pursues Palestinian militants. At least 90 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli-occupied territory in the past two weeks, mainly in clashes with Israeli troops, according to AP.

The tally includes five Palestinians killed in separate incidents on Sunday. Israel carried out an airstrike during a battle in another West Bank refugee camp last week, in which 13 Palestinians, including five minors, and a member of Israel’s paramilitary Border Police were killed.

Unlike in Gaza, Israel rarely uses air power in the occupied West Bank. Israel says its forces have detained over 700 suspects in the West Bank, including 480 members of Hamas, since the start of hostilities.

Meanwhile, Israel also carried out strikes on Hezbollah targets on the border with Lebanon on Saturday, after one Israeli soldier was hit by anti-tank missile in the North of the country. “We are in the heart of the battle today” said Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Kassem, on Saturday, the same day that the group said six of its fighters were killed.

To the North East, Syrian state media reported that Israeli airstrikes early Sunday targeted the international airports of the Syrian capital Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo, killing one person. The runways were damaged and put out of service. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

Late on Saturday, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III made a statement signalling further U.S. prescence in the region.

He said the Pentagon is sending anti-ballistic missile defense system called the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) out to the Middle East, as well as additional Patriot air defense missile system battalions.

The U.S. has sent a significant amount of naval power to the area in recent weeks, including two aircraft carriers, their support ships and about 2,000 Marines.

Humanitarian efforts are still focusing on aid convoys to the Gaza strip after some aid finally got through to the enclave. Twenty trucks carrying medicine, medical supplies and food crossed into Gaza on Saturday morning from Egypt, marking the first humanitarian aid to arrive in the territory since an Israeli bombardment campaign began two weeks ago.

Loaded on the trucks were medical supplies for trauma treatment and chronic disease, the World Health Organization said Saturday. The delivery also included some food, mattresses and blankets. Notably, no fuel arrived, which aid groups say is needed to power hospitals and desalination plants for much-needed water.

Lynn Hastings, U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, told NPR that the arrival of the trucks Saturday “represents a very small first but important start. Obviously it’s really a drop in the bucket.”

As the trucks made their way through the Rafah border, hundreds of foreign nationals gathered at the Gaza side, hoping to escape the violence. But no one was allowed to leave. Aid agencies are hoping that more supplies will be delivered in the coming days, with 100 trucks sitting on the Egyptian side of the border. U.S. officials estimate that hundreds of American citizens are stranded in Gaza.

Settler violence against Palestinians has also intensified since the Hamas attack. At least five Palestinians have been killed by settlers, according to Palestinian authorities, and rights groups say settlers have torched cars and attacked several small Bedouin communities, forcing them to evacuate to other areas.