Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: After nearly 1,200 people died since Saturday on both sides and its war with Hamas threatening to escalate and spread further, Israel has ordered a “complete siege” of the terrorist outfit’s den, the Gaza Strip, to deny electricity, food and water to its 2.3 million Palestinians, the media reported on Monday.
“We are fighting animals and acting accordingly,” declared Yoav Gallant, the Israeli Defense Minister, on Monday.
At least 700 people Israelis were killed in southern Israel when Hamas terrorists stormed across the border on Saturday last, shooting people in the communities and towns near Gaza before Israeli security forces began fighting back.
The Israeli dead included around 250 people who were killed by Hamas gunmen at a music festival attended by young Israelis and foreigners near Kibbutz Reim, close to Gaza, according to an organization that helped to recover the bodies.
Defence Minister Gallant ordered a “complete siege” on the Gaza Strip as the military pounded the Palestinian territory with air strikes.
“We are putting a complete siege on Gaza… No electricity, no food, no water, no gas — it’s all closed,” Yoav Gallant said in a video message, referring to the enclave that is overcrowded with 2.3 million people.