Israel escalates Gaza attacks as conflict enters Day 4; targets Hezbollah

Israel has intensified the counter-offensive against Hamas, with several air strikes raging into the Gaza territory and a combat helicopter attacking another observation post of the Hezbollah terror group, the Israeli Air Force said.

As the conflict entered the fourth day since Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel on October 7, the Israeli Air Force launched an extensive attack against terror targets of Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

"A combat helicopter attacked another observation post of the Hezbollah terrorist organization. A short time ago a combat helicopter attacked a Hezbollah observation post after anti-tank fire was fired from Lebanese territory at a military vehicle in the Avivim area," the IAF posted on X (formerly Twitter).

As per the Israeli Air Force, the fighter jets attacked a number of terrorist targets of the terrorist organization Hamas throughout the Gaza Strip. Among other things, the planes attacked a military compound and a weapons warehouse.

Also, a combat management room in Western Jabaliya was attacked which was used by the terrorist organisation Hamas to direct terrorism against the State of Israel, it added.

The conflict continued to intensify, as Hamas also launched a barrage of rockets on Israel, hours after issuing a warning. The terrorist organisation had earlier issued a warning that it would attack Ashkelon at 5 o'clock in retaliation for Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, Times of Israel reported.

As the barrage of rockets pounded the coastal city, sirens sounded in the city and other nearby towns.

The Hamas terror group launched a deadly attack on Israel on October 7.

According to the latest updates, at least 900 people have been killed and over 2600 people are wounded.

On the other hand, over 770 Palestinians have also been killed in air raids after Israel launched a strong counter-offensive.

The Health Ministry in Gaza said that at least 770 Palestinians have been killed and 4,000 wounded in Israeli air raids. Among the dead are 140 children and 120 women, a ministry spokesperson said.

In addition to this, at least 18 people have also been killed and around 100 were injured in the West Bank region since Saturday, Al Jazeera reported.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said Tuesday, with another 4,250 people injured Internet disruptions are affecting the death toll updates, the ministry stated, Times of Israel reported.

In another major development in the ongoing Israeli counter-offensive, two big leaders of Hamas terror group were eliminated by the Israeli Air Force on Tuesday.

The Israeli Air Force said in a statement that the Minister of Economy of Hamas, Jawad Abu Shamala, has been killed.

Zakaria Abu Ma'amer, one of the senior members of the Political Bureau of Hamas was also eliminated by the Israeli Air Force. He was also the head of the Ministry of National Relations in the policy bureau of Hamas in Gaza,

In a major revelation, an emergency group revealed on Tuesday that as many as 260 people were killed by Hamas gunmen who invaded an outdoor music festival in southern Israel during their assault on the country over the weekend, the Times of Israel reported.

The incident has been described by participants as a nightmarish massacre, with terrorists -- who had apparently known in advance of the event and directed significant forces there -- surrounding the participants and cutting down dozens of them with rifle fire, then moving through the area and hunting people in hiding to execute or capture, as per the Times of Israel.

Amid the ongoing war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Israel defense forces have announced that schools across the entire country will remain closed in the coming days, according to The Times of Israel.

In a stern warning to Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said that "though Israel did not start this war" but "will finish it".

"Israel is at war. We didn't want this war. It was forced upon us in the most brutal and savage way. But though Israel didn't start this war, Israel will finish it," said Netanyahu in an address to the nation.

He added, "Hamas will understand that by attacking us, they have made a mistake of historic proportions. We will exact a price that will be remembered by them and Israel's other enemies for decades to come".

However, despite the Israeli counter-offensive, there has been no change in the attitude of Hamas.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Tuesday that the issue of prisoner swaps won't be addressed until the end of the war, The Times of Israel reported.

The head of the Hamas political bureau said that the "prisoner exchanges will only be tackled after the end of the war."

Izzat al-Rishq, a member of the Hamas political bureau, condemned the joint statement issued by the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy against the Hamas attack, terming it "double standards" and their "blatant bias" towards "Zionist occupation".

"These positions once again confirm the double standards of these countries, and their blatant bias towards the Zionist occupation...and provide it with a cover and encouragement to continue and escalate its crimes against our defenceless people," Times of Israel quoted al-Rishq as saying.

The Hamas group has also called for mass rallies in the West Bank, Jerusalem and throughout the Arab and Muslim world on Friday in support of its fight against Israel.

Hamas also extends an appeal to Palestinians in the diaspora, as well as "the free people of our Arab and Islamic nation all around the world," to gather in "the closest point to Jerusalem" in order to show their solidarity with them and stop the "Israeli plans to Judaize Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa", Times of Israel reported.

Iran is another nation, that has continuously voiced support for Hamas. Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Tuesday claimed that Israel has "suffered an irrevocable defeat both in terms of military and intelligence," Iranian News Agency Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

"But those who say that the recent great event is the work of non-Palestinians are making miscalculations" Khameni was cited in the IRNA report.

Since the beginning of 'Operation Al-Aqsa Storm,' "the occupying Zionist regime has suffered an irrevocable defeat both in terms of military and intelligence," Khamenei said as quoted by IRNA.

The Israel defence force stated that about 4,500 rockets have been fired from Gaza on Israel after which the Israeli defence forces struck 1290 Hamas targets in Gaza.

An IDF spokesperson has confirmed that 123 soldiers have been killed in the fighting, and 50 families have been informed that a relative was kidnapped by Hamas.

As part of its counter-offensive against Hamas, Israel has mobilised 3,00,000 troops in the last 48 hours. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari informed about the mobilisation and said the IDF "has never mobilized so many reservists so quickly -- 300,000 reservists in 48 hours."

This is the largest mobilisation since the 1973 Yom Kippur War when Israel called up 400,000 reservists, Times of Israel reported.

The horrific attack by Hamas has received global condemnation. Five nations, the US, UK, France, Germany and Italy issued a joint statement condemning the attack.

US President posted on X stating that the 'tragedy' incurred by Israel is personal for many American families as the ties between the two nations run deep.

"This is not some distant tragedy - the ties between Israel and the United States run deep. It is personal for so many American families who are feeling the pain of this attack as well as the scars inflicted through millennia of antisemitism and persecution of Jewish people. In cities across the country, local and federal law enforcement partners are closely monitoring for any domestic threats in connection with the horrific terrorist attacks in Israel," Biden posted on X.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi talked with his Israeli counterpart and took an update about the ongoing situation.

"I thank Prime Minister @netanyahu for his phone call and providing an update on the ongoing situation. People of India stand firmly with Israel in this difficult hour. India strongly and unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," PM Modi said.

German Ambassador to India, Philipp Ackermann called the attack as "heartbreaking and appalling" and stated that Germany believes in the right of self-defence of Israel.

"What we've seen over the weekend in Israel is just heartbreaking and appalling. The attacks by Hamas on Israeli soil, the random killing of people...more than hundreds were killed. I was completely shocked and I couldn't believe what I saw. The pictures we had to see on social media were just terrible. So we believe in the right of self-defence of Israel. We believe that Israel has every right to defend itself," the envoy said.

He added, "What is the aim of this attack? What does Hamas want to achieve with this attack? I don't see any improvement in the situation and therefore, I must say I condemn what happened in Israel."

The Israel Defense Forces said it had finally regained control over the border with the Gaza Strip, 72 hours after Hamas terrorists blew through sections of the barrier and launched an invasion that saw over 1,000 Israelis slaughtered or kidnapped.

On Monday, the Israeli Air Force aircraft attacked several targets of Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip. The aircraft attacked a building used by Hamas in investigations and an operational infrastructure located inside a mosque. In addition, an underground tunnel shaft of the terrorist organization and military infrastructures used by the Hamas were also attacked.