Israel's hostage strategy: Gaza to be left in need of humanitarian aid
While Gaza experiences massive destruction due to airstrikes and a blockade, Israel has given a very harsh response to calls for humanitarian aid to the region.
AA
Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz stated that no electricity, water, or fuel will be provided to the Gaza Strip until the Israelis held hostage there return home.
In a statement on the social media platform X, Katz responded to the growing calls for humanitarian aid in the blockaded Gaza Strip, which is facing intense Israeli bombardment as the Israel-Palestine conflict enters its 6th day.
''NO ONE SHOULD LECTURE US ON MORALITY''
The Israeli Minister stated, ''Humanitarian aid to Gaza? No electrical switch will be turned on, no water tap will be opened, and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli captives return home.”
Regarding international reactions suggesting that Israel is resorting to collective punishment in Gaza without distinguishing between armed individuals and civilians, Katz used the words, ''Humanity for humanity. No one should lecture us on morality.''
WAR HITS CIVILIANS
The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, launched a comprehensive attack on Israel on the morning of October 7, dubbed the “Al-Aqsa Flood.” Armed groups subsequently entered settlements inside Israel, and the Israeli army launched an offensive on the Gaza Strip with dozens of fighter jets.
It was reported that 1,300 Israelis lost their lives and 3,300 were injured in the attacks launched from Gaza. The Palestinian Ministry of Health also announced that 1,203 people had lost their lives and 5,763 had been injured in Gaza due to Israeli attacks.
Furthermore, it was stated that 29 Palestinians were killed and approximately 150 people were injured in attacks by Israeli forces and Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
The United Nations had called on Israel to open a humanitarian aid corridor to Gaza, warning that conditions in the region could be “more severe than ever before.”