Erdogan warns Herzog against collective punishment against Gaza
Erdogan warns that steps that harm Gazans indiscriminately “will further increase the sufferings and the spiral of violence in the region.”
He also pushes for “the immediate restoration of peace in the region.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant earlier ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza, saying authorities would cut electricity and block the entry of food and fuel.
Erdogan also spoke with Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Prime Minister Najib Mikati of Lebanon, and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, his office says.
UN chief slams Hamas, warns Israel over retaliatory actions
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres lambasts Hamas’ attacks on Israel, calling on the terror group to release all hostages while also expressing distress over Israel’s response to the surprise assault that began on Saturday morning.
“Let me begin by repeating my utter condemnation of the abhorrent attacks by Hamas and others against Israeli towns and villages in the Gaza periphery, which have left over 800 Israelis dead and more than 2,500 injured,” Guterres says in a statement to the press after huddling with senior UN officials to discuss the ongoing violence from Gaza. “I recognize the legitimate grievances of the Palestinian people. But nothing can justify these acts of terror and the killing, maiming and abduction of civilians.”
“I reiterate my call to immediately cease these attacks and release all hostages,” he adds.
Guterres says he is “deeply alarmed” by the death count on the Palestinian side as well, which has included many women and children.
“While I recognize Israel’s legitimate security concerns, I also remind Israel that military operations must be conducted in strict accordance with international humanitarian law,” he says, blasting Israel for targeting civilian infrastructure.
“I am deeply distressed by today’s announcement that Israel will initiate a complete siege of the Gaza Strip, nothing allowed in – no electricity, food, or fuel,” Guterres says. “The humanitarian situation in Gaza was extremely dire before these hostilities; now, it will only deteriorate exponentially,” he adds, calling on Israel to allow humanitarian supplies and personnel into the Strip.
IDF issues new restrictions on northern towns
The military’s Home Front Command issues restrictions for residents of towns in northern Israel, as tensions rise, following an exchange of fire on the Lebanon border earlier.
Businesses in towns along the Lebanon border and in the Golan Heights can only be opened if they have ready access to bomb shelters, the military says.
Gatherings are also restricted to 30 people outdoors and 300 people indoors in those areas, the IDF Home Front Command says.
Public beaches are closed as well, it says.
Hamas threatens to begin executing hostages in response to strikes
The Hamas terror group is threatening to begin executing hostages in response to Israeli strikes in Gaza carried out without warnings, the spokesperson for Hamas’s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades says, according to Gaza’s Shehab news outlet.
“From this hour, any targeting of our people in the safety of their homes, without warning, will be met with the execution of civilian hostages, which will be broadcast with video and audio,” says the spokesperson, who goes by the nom de guerre Abu Obeida.
A defense official reportedly told Knesset members in a briefing earlier in the day that Israel was not dropping dummy bombs on roofs of buildings set to be targeted, meant to warn civilians to flee.
Over 900 reported killed in Israel since start of Hamas attacks
The death toll from the Hamas onslaught is now over 900, Hebrew media report.
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