Gaza decimated by Israeli airstrikes overnight as residents prevented from escaping
Gaza - The Israeli government is continuing its deadly siege on Gaza, bombing civilian infrastructure and the main path of escape, after a Hamas-led attack that killed hundreds of Israelis.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said they have dropped 2,000 munitions and more than 1,000 tons of bombs on Gaza over the last day, destroying high-rise apartment buildings, mosques, hospitals, banks, and other civilian infrastructure. Israel has also cut off food, water, electricity, and gas to the area and called up 300,000 IDF reservists for a potential ground invasion.
Referring to Palestinians as "human animals," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had ordered a "full siege" on Gaza – one of the most densely populated places on earth, with around 2.3 million people crammed into a sliver of land around the size of Washington DC.
Gaza's health ministry said Tuesday that at least 770 Palestinians had been killed and 4,000 wounded in the strikes.
Israel had warned Palestinians to leave as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country is "embarking on a long and difficult war."
That hasn't stopped the Israeli military from dropping bombs multiple times on the Gaza-Egypt Rafah crossing, the only land exit, effectively trapping Palestinian civilians in the world's largest open-air prison as bombs rain down from above.
US pledges more military aid to Israel
Israel's siege on Gaza comes after the militant group Hamas launched a barrage of rockets on Israel on Saturday and took over 100 hostages. More than 900 Israelis have reportedly been killed, the government said.
The United States government has responded by pledging full support to Israel, sending munitions and moving US war ships and other military assets closer to the Middle Eastern country.
Many Palestinians and human rights advocates have argued that peace can only be achieved by bringing an end the State of Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestine and the US' support for the apartheid regime.
To date, the US has provided military aid to Israel amounting to over $150 billion in taxpayer monies (not adjusting for inflation).
Cover photo: REUTERS