Israel Declares A “Complete Siege” Of Gaza

Israel announced it will cut off water, food and power supplies as part of a “complete siege” of Gaza, after Hamas threatened to start killing Israeli hostages if Israel continues to bombard civilian buildings without prior warning.

According to a report by The Guardian, Hamas has abducted more than 100 people during the surprise attacks that have killed over 700 people on Saturday.

After the attack, Israel decided to launch strikes on Gaza buildings. Medics said the strikes have killed more than 680 Palestinians.

On Sunday, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu declared war and called up 300,000 reservists for duty, while speaking about a possible ground assault into Gaza.

Abu Ubaida, a spokesperson for the armed wing of Hamas, said that the group will kill an Israeli civilian captive if Israel keeps targeting civilian buildings without prior warning. There have been several reports of strikes against apartment complexes in Gaza.

In previous conflicts, Israel has sometimes warned civilians in Gaza of attacks on residential buildings. This has given civilians minutes to escape and clear the building before it is destroyed. Despite the practice, many civilians have still been killed.

Israeli media reported that in the current strikes the military was not always warning civilians.

“I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel, everything is closed,” said Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant. “We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.”

The UN secretary general, António Guterres called the Hamas attacks “acts of terror” and expressed concern about the Israeli plan for a siege in Gaza.

Gaza has been sealed off by a 16 year Israeli blockade that began in 2006, after the election of Hamas.