Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Wednesday to completely obliterate Hamas, saying the militants had raped women, beheaded soldiers, shot children in the head and burned people alive in their surprise attack that began Saturday.
In a late-night televised address, Netanyahu said Israel would “crush and destroy” the terrorist group, and that every Hamas member is a “dead man.”
He spoke as Israel’s unrelenting airstrikes continued to pound Palestinian neighborhoods across the sealed-off Gaza Strip, with the Israeli Defense Force warning that civilian buildings will be viewed as “legitimate military targets” amid its ongoing response to the unprecedented attack.
The death toll of Americans killed in Israel rose dramatically Wednesday, climbing from 14 to 22, according to the State Department, as the war threatened to spill beyond Israel and the Gaza Strip.
An estimated 2,100 lives have been lost across both sides in the five days since the invasion, which saw Hamas send thousands of rockets and scores of fighters into Israeli territory on Saturday.
On Wednesday, Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group fired anti-tank missiles at an Israeli military position while condemning the United States’ support of Israel. The U.S. “is a full partner of the Zionist aggression and is responsible for the killings, crimes, siege, the destruction of homes and horrifying crimes against innocent civilians,” it said.
The sentiment was echoed by a prominent Iranian-backed militia in Iraq, who threatened to attack American bases in retaliation for any interference in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
“Our missiles, drones, and special forces are ready to direct qualitative strikes at the American enemy in its bases and disrupt its interests if it intervenes in this battle,” Ahmad “Abu Hussein” al-Hamidawi, head of the Kataib Hezbollah militia, said in a statement.
The declarations come after President Biden warned other countries and armed groups against entering the war. He also emphasized his top priorities are the safety of Americans who have been taken hostage and the well-being of those who have lost loved ones.
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Across the Gaza Strip, residents continued to desperately search for any safe corner as Israeli airstrikes reduced entire city blocks to rubble. During a press briefing, IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said Hamas “wants to disguise itself within civilian buildings” because they are “cowards.”
“You may have seen footage on TV or on social media and you may see a building standing and then flashes and then the building collapses and you say to yourself, well, that looks very much like a civilian building,” he said Wednesday.
“What I want to tell you is that no, that isn’t a civilian building. It is a legitimate military target. And why is that? Because Hamas uses all, locates all of their offices, headquarters, their research and development and all of their other military assets … in civilian buildings.”
The airstrikes come after Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant ordered a “complete siege” of the strip, vowing to halt its supply of electricity, food, water and fuel. According to the Hamas-controlled government, electricity supply to the coastal enclave “will completely stop within hours,” limiting the ability to provide basic services, including medical care.
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In Gaza, at least 950 people have died — among them 260 children and 230 women — and another 5,000 have been injured since Saturday, according to the latest numbers from Palestinian officials.
In Israel, at least 1,200 people have been killed and 2,900 others injured.
In the wake of Hamas’ initial assault, Israel vowed to avenge those killed, among them hundreds of citizens gunned down in their homes, on the streets and at an outdoor music festival. Hamas has threatened to kill some 150 hostages should Israel’s retaliation continue.
The impacts of the conflict are being felt far beyond Israel and the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that citizens of at least 22 countries are among those killed or unaccounted for, including Americans.
With News Wire Services
