Israel Forms War Cabinet As Death Toll Rises To 1,200
By Worthy News’ George Whitten and Stefan J. Bos
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel formed a rare emergency government with opposition members to see the Jewish nation through its war with Hamas as the death toll of those killed by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Israel rose to 1,200.
The government was formed after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. President Joe Biden that this was the “deadliest day” for Jewish people since the Holocaust, also known as Shoah.
President Biden called the Hamas attack “an act of sheer evil” and said American citizens were also among the dozens of civilians and Israeli troops being held as hostages by Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007. “We must be crystal clear, we stand with Israel,” Biden told the nation.
It came as the Israeli government confirmed that beheaded toddlers and babies were among the victims discovered by Israel’s military, as earlier reported by Worthy News and other outlets. “Hamas is ISIS,” the government said, referring to the tactics of the Islamic State group.
The gruesome discoveries were due to an increase in Israel’s ongoing retaliatory strikes in the Gaza Strip, from where militants invaded Israel, and thousands of rockets were fired, with several also hitting the Jewish nation on Wednesday.
The Hamas attacks claimed more than 1,200 lives in Israel, including at least 22 Americans, Israel said Wednesday, and led Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare, “We are at war.”
RETALIATORY STRIKES
Electricity went out in the Gaza Strip after its only power plant stalled, Palestinian officials said, as Israel cut fuel supplies to the territory following Saturday’s attack.
Retaliatory strikes on Gaza have left at least 1,100 people, including at least 326 children, dead, the Gaza Ministry of Health said Wednesday.
The ministry added that at least 5,339 more people in the blockaded Palestinian territory were wounded.
Nine United Nations staff members were killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza since Saturday, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees confirmed Wednesday.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said nine staffers were killed in airstrikes since the start of Israel’s counterattack on Gaza, with several of the staff members killed late Tuesday. “They paid the ultimate price,” the U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said.
Israeli jets also struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon Wednesday after the militia launched guided missiles at an army post in northern Israel, further indicating the Israel-Hamas conflict is spreading.
EGYPT FOCUS
As clashes intensify, hundreds of thousands are trying to flee Gaza into Egypt. Nearly 264,000 people, representing almost 12 percent of the population of Gaza, are believed to have fled their homes, the United Nations’ humanitarian affairs office said early Wednesday.
The North African nation’s stance is increasingly in focus as the U.S. and others reportedly discuss with Egypt the possibility of safe passage for civilians. Egypt is also asked to help aid Gaza’s 2.3 million residents after Israel imposed a blockade.
Israel also called up some 300,000 reservists preparing for a ground offensive into Gaza, adding anxiety.
The turmoil came as Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the U.S., the European Union, and others, held some 150 Israelis and foreigners as hostages, including women, men and babies, toddlers, and other children.
Qatar is reportedly mediating the release of women and children held by Hamas, declared a terrorist organization by the United States, Britain, the European Union, and others.
In exchange, Israel would release women and teenagers held as Israeli prisoners, diplomats say. As the war continued, the first painful funerals were underway in Israel as the nation tried to cope with its bloodiest attack in decades.
(With reporting by Worthy News’ George Whitten and Stefan J. Bos. This is a BREAKING NEWS roundup. Stay with Worthy News for continued coverage).
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