JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military pulverized the Gaza Strip with airstrikes, prepared for a possible ground invasion and said Thursday its complete siege — which has left Palestinians desperate for food, fuel and medicine — would remain in place until the Hamas militants that rule the territory freed some 150 hostages taken during a grisly weekend incursion.
A visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, along with shipments of U.S. weapons, were a powerful green light to Israel to drive ahead with its retaliation in Gaza after Hamas’ deadly attack on civilians and soldiers, even as international aid groups warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis. Israel has halted deliveries of basic necessities and electricity to Gaza’s 2.3 million people and prevented entry of supplies from Egypt.
“Not a single electricity switch will be flipped on, not a single faucet will be turned on, and not a single fuel truck will enter until the Israeli hostages are returned home,” Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz said on social media.
Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, an Israeli military spokesman, told reporters Thursday that forces “are preparing for a ground maneuver” should political leaders order one. A ground offensive in Gaza, where the population is densely packed into a sliver of land only 40 kilometers (25 miles) long, would likely bring even higher casualties on both sides in brutal house-to-house fighting.
Hamas’ assault on Saturday killed more than 1,300 people in Israel, including 247 soldiers — a toll unseen in Israel for decades — and the ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed more than 1,400 people in Gaza, according to authorities on both sides. Israel says roughly 1,500 Hamas militants were killed inside Israel, and that hundreds of the dead in Gaza are Hamas members.
As Israel pounds Gaza from the air, Hamas militants have fired thousands of rockets into Israel. Amid concerns that the fighting could spread in the region, Syrian state media reported that Israeli airstrikes on Thursday put two Syrian international airports out of service.
The relentless barrage on Gaza — 6,000 munitions dropped since the conflict began, the military said — left Palestinians running through streets with what belongings they could carry, looking for a safe place.
A strike Thursday afternoon in the Jabaliya refugee camp collapsed a residential building on families sheltering inside, killing at least 45 people, Gaza's Interior Ministry said. At least 23 of the dead were under the age of 18, including a month-old child, according to a list of the casualties. Ministry spokesman Eyad Bozum said dozens were wounded and the death toll was likely to rise as rescue workers were still pulling bodies from the rubble.
The home, belonging to the al-Shihab family, was packed with relatives who had fled bombing in other areas. Neighbors said a second house was hit at the same time but the toll was not immediately known. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strike.
The Jabaliya camp has seen non-stop bombardment for days, said one neighbor, Khalil Abu Yahia. “We can’t flee because anywhere you go you are bombed. You need a miracle to survive here,” Aby Yahia said.
The number of people who fled their homes reached 340,000 people by Wednesday night — roughly 15% of Gaza’s population. Most crowded into U.N.-run schools while others are staying with relatives or even strangers.
Families were cutting down to one meal a day to conserve supplies, said Rami Swailem, a 34-year-old lecturer at al-Azhar University, who has 32 members of his family sheltering in his home. Water stopped coming to the building two days ago, and they were rationing what’s left in the tank on the roof.