Hamas declares ‘full force’ response as Israel says ‘Gaza will feel our wrath tonight’

Hamas declared on Saturday that its militants in Gaza stand ready to confront Israeli attacks with "full force" following an expansion of Israel's military operations, both in the air and on the ground, within the Palestinian enclave.

The Gaza-based Palestinian militant group, which governs the territory, announced that its fighters were engaged in clashes with Israeli forces near the border with Israel in response to heightened Israeli attacks in Gaza. Internet and phone services had been disrupted for over 12 hours, with telecom companies and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society attributing the outage to Israeli airstrikes.

Furthermore, Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari disclosed during a televised news briefing on Friday evening that ground forces were extending their operations, raising concerns about the initiation of a long-anticipated ground invasion of Gaza. The Israeli Air Force had been conducting extensive strikes on Hamas tunnels and other infrastructure.

In an interview with MSNBC, Mark Regev, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel began its payback against Hamas and "Gaza will feel our wrath tonight".

On Saturday, the Israeli military confirmed the killing of the head of Hamas' aerial wing, Asem Abu Rakaba, who played a role in planning the October 7th attack on Israeli southern towns by the Islamist group. Abu Rakaba was responsible for Hamas' UAVs, drones, paragliders, aerial detection, and aerial defence. The IDF accused him of planning the attack and directing terrorists who infiltrated Israel on paragliders, as well as carrying out drone attacks on IDF posts.

Hamas' armed wing reported late on Friday that its fighters were in conflict with Israeli troops in Gaza's northeastern town of Beit Hanoun and the central area of Al-Bureij. In response to these developments, Hamas stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his army would not achieve any military victory.

Israeli ground forces had gathered outside Gaza, where they had been conducting an intense aerial bombardment campaign since the October 7th attack. According to Israeli reports, approximately 1,400 people, mostly civilians, were killed, and more than 200 were taken hostage, including some foreign nationals and individuals with dual Israeli nationality. In contrast, Palestinian health authorities asserted that Israeli bombings had led to the deaths of over 7,000 Palestinians.

Al Jazeera's live footage overnight showed frequent explosions in Gaza, with reports of Israeli airstrikes around the main hospital in the enclave, Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Israel's military accused Hamas of using the hospital as a shield for its tunnels and operational centres, an accusation that Hamas denied.

Humanitarian Ceasefire

On Friday, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution put forth by Arab states. This resolution called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and requested access to Gaza for humanitarian aid, as well as the protection of civilians. The resolution received strong support with 121 votes in favour, while 44 countries abstained, and 14, including Israel and the United States, voted against it.

India, among the countries that abstained, did so because the draft resolution did not mention the terrorist group Hamas. While the resolution is not legally binding, it carries significant political weight as it reflects the global sentiment. It was co-sponsored by more than 40 countries, including Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan, Russia, and South Africa. Other countries that abstained from the vote included Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Ukraine, and the UK.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expressed her concerns on a social media platform (formerly Twitter), stating that India's abstention from the UNGA vote goes against the principles and values India has upheld throughout its history as a nation. She emphasised the importance of taking a stand and not remaining silent in the face of humanitarian crises and conflicts.

"To refuse to take a stand and watch in silence as every law of humanity is pulverised, food, water, medical supplies, communication and power is cut off to millions of people and thousands of men, women and children in Palestine are being annihilated goes against everything our country has stood for throughout its life as a nation," she said.

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