Oct. 12 (UPI) — Israel’s warplanes continued their bombardment of Gaza overnight and into Thursday, the sixth day of its war against Hamas, as the death toll on both sides continued to climb.
According to the Israeli Defense Forces, its fighter jets struck Gaza in waves targeting Hamas’ Nukhba elite forces, hitting what the Israeli Air Force said were operational command centers used by operatives who infiltrated border kibbutz communities Saturday as part of the militant group’s surprise assault.
Israel was caught unaware by Hamas’ multi-prong attack by sky, land and sea that captured several kibbutzim close to the Gaza border.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the country was at war with Hamas, formed a unity government on Wednesday in a sign of solidarity and an effort to thwart the proscribed organization.
Since Saturday’s attack, Israel has consistently bombed Gaza, displacing hundreds of thousands of the Palestinian enclave’s 2.5 million residents.
Netanyahu vowed late Wednesday to “crush and eliminate” Hamas.
The death toll in the war has climbed to a combined 2,400, with Israeli officials stating more than 1,200 of its citizens were killed and 3,200 injured, and the Palestinian Health Ministry stating 1,203 Palestinians were killed and another 5,763 were wounded.
According to the IDF, its warplanes have struck 2,687 targets in Gaza as of early Thursday.
The bombing has displaced at least 340,000 people, the United Nations Agency for Palestine refugees said early Thursday, an increase of 76,000 in 24 hours.
Nearly 220,000 of those people were sheltering in 92 of UNRWA’s schools in Gaza, where officials say there is no humanitarian access to food or other supplies and a water crisis looms.
“Shelters are overcrowded and have limited availability of food, non-food items and potable water,” it said in a Wednesday night statement.
“Water supplies cannot be replenished due to the total blockade on the Gaza Strip by the Israeli authorities. Fuel cannot be brought in and Israeli water suppliers can no longer deliver water in Gaza.”
UNRWA said Thursday 12 of its workers have been killed since the fighting began.
“UN staff and civilians must be protected at all times,” it said. “We mourn this loss and are grieving with our colleagues and the families.”
The World Health Organization identified the healthcare workers as nine paramedics, a doctor and a member of auxiliary health staff.
Since Saturday, there have been 51 documented Israeli attacks on healthcare facilities across the Palestinian territory, the WHO said early Thursday.
