New Delhi: Israel’s air force has carried out more than 200 strikes on Hamas positions in the Al Furkan neighbourhood of Gaza on Wednesday, as part of its ongoing retaliation for the terror group’s multi-faceted attacks on Israeli civilians. The IDF said it also targeted the house of the father of Mohammed Deif, the chief of Hamas’s military wing and the alleged mastermind of the attacks, according to The Times of Israel.
This was the third round of aerial bombardment in the area in the last day, bringing the total number of targets hit by Israeli jets to 450, the IDF announced on social media platform X. The conflict, which erupted on October 7 when Hamas launched a surprise assault with rockets and ground forces, has entered its fifth day with a heavy toll on both sides.
The IDF reported that over 1,000 Israelis have been killed and more than 2,800 wounded, with 50 still missing or captured by Hamas. It also said that over 4,500 rockets have been launched from Gaza so far. The Health Ministry of Gaza said that over 770 Palestinians have also lost their lives in the Israeli air raids, and another 4,000 have been injured.
Among the dead are 140 children and 120 women, a spokesperson for the ministry said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the fight against Hamas until it is defeated. “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,” he said in a televised address to the nation.
