Israel continues to pound downtown Gaza City

Israel pounded downtown Gaza City with relentless bombardments on Tuesday and further expanded a massive mobilization of reservists as it vowed a retaliation that would ldquoreverberate for generationsrdquo against the Hamas militant group for its surprise weekend attack The warmdashwhich began after Hamas militants stormed into Israel on Saturday bringing gunbattles to its streets for the first time in decadesmdashhas already claimed at least 1600 livesIt is only expected to escalate from here with questions over whether Israel will launch a ground invasion and Hamas threatening to kill captured Israelis if strikes targeted civilians without warning Israel said that Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza are also holding more than 150 soldiers and civilians hostage Israelrsquos military said Tuesday morning that it had regained effective control over its south and the border breached over the weekendOver 187K displaced in GazaA Palestinian man leaves with a suitcase on his shoulders PicAPAs retaliatory Israeli airstrikes continue more than 187500 people have been displaced in Gaza since the beginning of the conflict according to a report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs UNRWA the UN agency for Palestinian refugees is hosting more than 137000 people in schools across the territory The report says airstrikes have razed 790 housing units and severely damaged 5330 in the territory of 23 million people OCHA said damage to water sanitation and hygiene facilities in Gaza has disrupted service for more than 400000 peopleAt least 11 US citizens killed says Joe BidenIsraeli soldiers take position near the Israeli Gaza border PicAPAt least 11 US citizens have been confirmed dead in the surprise Hamas attacks US President Joe Biden has said Biden also said the US government believes it is ldquolikelyrdquo that Americans are among those currently being held hostage by Hamas militants while other US citizens are still unaccounted for after the deadly assaultIsrael finds 1500 bodies of militantsIsraelrsquos military said about 1500 bodies of Hamas militants were found in Israeli territory as as it said it had largely gained control in the countryrsquos south and ldquorestored full controlrdquo over the border on the fourth day of fighting following an unprecedented surprise attack Spokesperson Richard Hecht said no Hamas fighters have crossed into Israel since last night although infiltrations could still be possible Israel has previously reported 900 soldiers and civilians killed and Palestinian authorities have reported about 700 deaths in Gaza and the West Bank regionIran rejects lsquorole in attackrsquo allegationsPalestinians remove bodies from rubble after an Israeli airstrike PicAPIranrsquos Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected allegations on Tuesday about his countryrsquos role in Hamas attacks against Israel but said Iran will continue supporting Palestinians media reported It was the first reaction to the war by Khamenei who has final say on all state matters in the country However Khamenei said ldquoWe defend Palestine we defend the fightsrdquo He praised Palestinian ldquocapable smart and courageousrdquo young Palestinians He said the disaster for Israel came because mistakes by Israel against PalestiniansAid agencies look ways to send reliefThe United Nations and other aid agencies were talking with Egypt to send humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza through the Rafah crossing point between the strip and Egyptrsquos Sinai Peninsula an Egyptian official and aid worker said on Tuesday They said Egyptian authorities have contacted Israel and the US to secure humanitarian corridors in Gaza amid Israelrsquos unrelenting bombardment of the strip The efforts came as Israel sealed it off from food fuel and other supplies to over 2 million people in Gaza in retaliation for a bloody incursion by Hamas militantsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever