The United Nations’ chief says he’s “deeply distressed” by Israel‘s recent announcement of a complete siege of the Gaza Strip as the death toll from an unprecedented Hamas attack climbs to about 900 Israelis and more than 680 Palestinians dead from retaliatory airstrikes by Israel.
His comments come even as strikes by Israel in response to the deadly Saturday attack continue to pound the Gaza Strip and the military scoured the country’s south for Hamas fighters and guarded breaches in its border fence with tanks.
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said authorities would cut electricity to Gaza and block the entry of food and fuel. That order came a day after it was approved by the country’s security cabinet, which had also formally declared a state of war and gave the green light for “significant military steps” to retaliate against Hamas for Saturday’s surprise attack.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a nationally televised address on Monday that they had “only started” in their offensive against Hamas.
“What we will do to our enemies in the coming days will reverberate with them for generations,” he said.
As the UN Security Council met on Sunday in an emergency meeting, Israel’s ambassador told reporters that the conflict was “Israel’s 9/11.”
“This is Israel’s 9/11. And Israel will do everything to bring our sons and daughters back home,” Gilad Erdan said.
According to a post by the Israel government, about 900 Israelis have died, with more than 2,600 injured. The Gaza Ministry of Health said as of Monday, the death toll had risen to 687, with 3,726 injured.
U.S. President Joe Biden issued a statement Monday that confirmed the death toll of American citizens so far in Israel had risen to 11. An official also said Sunday that there was an undetermined number of citizens that remain missing or unaccounted for. At least two Canadians have also been reported missing.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his call for both sides to cease their attacks and release any hostages taken amid reports of at least 100 people taken, including soldiers, civilians, and nationals from other countries.
“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,” he said in a press conference before reporters Monday. “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.”
The UN chief said as the conflict continues, there are about 137,000 people that are currently sheltering in UN Relief and Works Agency facilities and that number continues to increase.
Even before the latest conflict erupted, Guterres noted the humanitarian situation in Gaza was already “extremely dire” and will “deteriorate exponentially” with medical supplies and food, among other aid, needed. He stressed that “all sides” must allow entry into Gaza in order to get aid to Palestinian civilians “trapped and helpless in the Gaza Strip.”
Guterres said efforts must also be made to avoid “spillover” into the wider Middle East.
“Even in these worst of times, and perhaps especially in the most trying moments, it is vital to look to the long-term horizon and avoid irreversible action that would embolden extremists and doom any prospects for lasting peace,” he said.
A spokesperson said the Israeli military regained control of border communities taken by Hamas fighters during the attack. But Palestinian militants continued firing barrages of rockets, setting off air raid sirens in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
In a sign that Israel may be planning a ground assault, the military called up 300,000 reservists on Monday and announced it was imposing a total blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Israel and Egypt have imposed various levels of blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.
One of Israel’s goals as it battles Hamas fighters is to remove the militant group from power in the Gaza Strip, a military spokesperson said Monday.
Jonathan Conricus made the statement in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. His words appeared to go further than those of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu said Sunday that his security cabinet had made the decision to destroy Hamas’ ability to govern in a way that posed a threat to Israeli civilians.
A thousand Hamas militants took part in the initial, unprecedented attack on Israel on Saturday, Conricus said.
“It is by far the worst day in Israeli history,” Conricus said.
The Israeli military has confirmed a “substantial” number of people were abducted, suggesting in government statements that the number is more than 100.
Canadians are believed to be among those abducted: former federal justice minister Irwin Cotler tweeted that a respected humanitarian and advocate for peace, Vivian Silver, from Winnipeg is one of the captives, while administrators at a Vancouver high school are worried about a former student.
“Please say extra prayers for King David alumnus, Ben Mizrachi, Class of 2018, who was attending an event in the south and is missing. Please keep Ben and his family in your prayers,” the post from King David High School in Vancouver read.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs confirmed the high school message is accurate and that Mizrachi is still missing. The centre said the family is asking for privacy at this time.
The armed wing of the Palestinian militant group Hamas has warned that it will kill an Israeli hostage every time Israel’s military bombs civilian targets in the Gaza Strip without warning.
Abu Obeida, the spokesman of the Qassam Brigades, said in an audio released Monday night that the threat was a response to intense air strikes by Israel on civilian areas.
“We have decided to put an end to this and as of now, we declare that any targeting of our people in their homes without prior warning will be regrettably faced with the execution of one the hostages of civilians we are holding,” he said.
In a video statement Monday, Israel’s foreign minister warned Hamas against harming any of the hostages who were taken from Israel and being held in Gaza. Eli Cohen said Israel was committed to bringing the hostages home “in the spirit of mutual responsibility.”
“We demand Hamas not to harm any of the hostages, Cohen said. “This war crime will not be forgiven,” he added.
The state of war has reverberated around the world over recent days, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warning of the need to prevent a bigger Middle East “conflagration” and the U.S. moving military assets into the eastern Mediterranean as a “deterrence posture.”
A former deputy national security advisor for Israel has called the attack by Hamas this weekend an “earthquake” for the country and people’s sense of security, and says the conflict has become a “battle for national survival.”
Chuck Freilich made the comments in an interview with The West Block‘s Mercedes Stephenson on Sunday, a day after Hamas militants launched a slew of rockets into Israel’s south, as well as attacks by land and sea, in what is being seen as an unprecedented attack.
“This is one of the worst developments in Israel’s history. It’s the first time since the War of Independence in 1948 that Israeli territory was occupied even briefly,” said Freilich, a professor of political science at Columbia University and previously a deputy national security adviser in Israel.
“This is an earthquake for Israel, militarily, psychologically, the sense of people’s security, and it’s, I believe, a totally different change in the situation, which is going to require responses by Israel on a completely different level. We cannot accept this.”
Following Saturday’s attack, there have also been questions by security experts surrounding what some have called a major intelligence failure. Both CNN and BBC are among those citing American and Israeli intelligence and security officials as saying it is not clear how the attack was not detected earlier and prevented.
— with files from Global News’ Touria Izri and Darrian Matassa-Fung, and The Associated Press.
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