Israel warns ‘this is just the beginning’ as rising death toll hits 53 in Hamas conflict – World News

Israel has warned “this is just the beginning” amid escalating tensions with Hamas – as the death toll rises to at least 53 people.

The intense outbreak of violence – the worst since 2014 – has seen air strikes and rockets fired by both sides, sparking global concern.

The UN has warned that the conflict is heading towards “full scale war”, with civilians and children reportedly already killed.

Truce efforts have made no progress after tempers flared following the fasting month of Ramadan and clashes in East Jerusalem.

And Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, issued a stark message on Wednesday as the number of casualties topped 50.

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“This is just the beginning. We’ll hit them like they’ve never dreamed possible,” he said.

The announcement came as Israel said it killed 16 members of Hamas, the Palestinian militant wing, in an air strike on Gaza, while Hamas rained rockets into Israel.

Six people have been killed in Israel, medical officials said.

Israel’s Shin Bet security service said the brigade commander for Gaza City was among senior members of Hamas who had been killed in the strike.

Hamas confirmed the brigade commander’s death and the loss of “other leaders and warriors” and said in a statement: “Thousands of leaders and soldiers will follow in their footsteps.”.

The offensive, which began on Monday, is the heaviest between Israel and Hamas since a 2014 war in Gaza, a Hamas-ruled enclave.

The violence followed weeks of tension during Ramadan, with clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters near Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem.

These escalated ahead of a court hearing – now postponed – that could lead to the eviction of Palestinian families from East Jerusalem homes claimed by Jewish settlers.

The conflict has led to the freezing of talks by Netanyahu’s opponents on forming a governing coalition to unseat him after Israel’s inconclusive March 23 election.

Shocking pictures and video emerging from the conflict have shown injured child and bloodied civilians, with entire multi-storey blocks razed to the ground.

Tensions are often high between Israel and Palestinians living in East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank.

Gaza – a Palestinian territory bordering Egypt and Israel – is ruled by Hamas, a militant group which has fought Israel for decades over a number of issues.

Israeli officials said at least 41 Palestinian fighters have been killed in the Gaza hostilities so far.

“Israel has gone crazy,” said a man on a Gaza street, where people ran out of their homes as explosions rocked buildings.

Many Israelis also spent a sleepless night as waves of rockets hit Israel’s heartland.

“The children have escaped the coronavirus, and now a new trauma,” an Israeli woman in the coastal city of Ashkelon said in footage on Channel 11 television.

Israelis ran to shelters or lay flat on pavements in some communities far from Gaza.

“All of Israel is under attack. It’s a very scary situation to be in,” said Margo Aronovic, a 26-year-old student, in Tel Aviv.

Along the Gaza border, an Israeli was killed by an anti-tank missile, Israel’s national ambulance service said.

Two people were killed by a rocket in Lod, near Tel Aviv.

Tension also spilled over in mixed Arab-Jewish towns in Israel where there have been demonstrations over the hostilities.

And Israeli media has also said the military was preparing for new salvoes on the Tel Aviv area.

Defence Minister Benny Gantz told reporters the Israeli military action would continue until “complete and long-term quiet” was achieved.

Hamas’s armed wing said it fired 210 rockets towards Beersheba in southern Israel and at Tel Aviv overnight in response to the strikes on the tower buildings in Gaza City.

“If they (Israeli forces) want to escalate, the resistance is ready, if they want to stop, the resistance is ready,” Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said.

Violence has also flared in the occupied West Bank.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Israel and the Palestinians to “step back from the brink and for both sides to show restraint” on Wednesday.

“The UK is deeply concerned by the growing violence and civilian casualties and we want to see an urgent de-escalation of tensions,” he said.

This follows a plea by Tor Wennesland, a UN co-ordinator in the Middle East.

He said: “Stop the fire immediately. We’re escalating towards a full scale war.

“Leaders on all sides have to take the responsibility of deescalation. The cost of war in Gaza is devastating and is being paid by ordinary people.

“UN is working with all sides to restore calm. Stop the violence now.”