Israeli warplanes pounded downtown Gaza City, home to Hamas's centres of government, with relentless bombardments into early Tuesday, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation against the Islamic militant group that would "reverberate for generations."
The four-day-old war has already claimed at least 1,830 lives, as Israel saw gun battles in the streets of its own towns for the first time in decades and neighbourhoods in Gaza were reduced to rubble.
The Israeli military said more than 1,000 people have been killed in Israel. In Gaza and the West Bank, 830 people have been killed, according to authorities there. Thousands have been wounded on both sides.
Israel said that Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza are holding more than 150 soldiers and civilians snatched from inside Israel after the attack caught its vaunted military and intelligence apparatus completely off guard.
In a statement, the UN Human Rights Office called on all states with influence to take steps to de-escatate the conflict, as the organization looks to "keep the plight of civilians at the forefront," Liz Throssell, UN spokesperson, told CBC News Network. "We have seen terrible loss of life, both among Israel civilians and Palestinian civilians," she said.
The National breaks down the threats facing Israeli hostages and how they could change the trajectory of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Aid organizations pleaded for the creation of humanitarian corridors to get aid into Gaza, warning that hospitals overwhelmed with wounded were running out of supplies. Israel has stopped all access of food, fuel and medicines into Gaza.
"For us, what is important to underscore is that restricting, or cutting off, essential supplies — food, water, electricity — it is really prohibited unless it's justified by what's called in legal terms 'a military necessity,'" said Thorsell.
The events are being watched around the world, with Canada among the countries
mourning the death of its citizens while
monitoring for possible hostages.
U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to speak Tuesday with Netanyahu about co-ordination with allies to "defend Israel and innocent people against terrorism," the White House said