Israel-Palestine conflict: Deaths hit 2,400 as Gaza suffers under siege with no electricity, water

The Israeli government is under intense public pressure on Thursday to topple Hamas after its militants stormed through a border fence Saturday and killed hundreds of Israelis in their homes, on the streets, and at an outdoor music festival.

Deaths in both Israel and Gaza rose to 2,400, with thousands wounded, and scores taken hostage. As families scrambled to find missing loved ones, rescuers had been pulling out dead bodies from the rubble — uncovering massacre sites one after another.

With the world closely watching and joining forces to protect civilians, violent threats and attacks escalated as the conflict between Israel and Palestine entered Day 6 on Thursday.

Here's what we know so far:

Israel has put Gaza under "total siege" to stop food and fuel reaching the enclave of 2.3 million people, many poor and dependent on aid. Hamas media said electricity was cut after the only power station stopped working.

The country's Energy Minister Israel Katz said electricity, water, and fuel supply would not be restored unless hostages were freed.

"Humanitarian aid to Gaza? No electrical switch will be lifted, no water hydrant will be opened and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli hostages are returned home. Humanitarian for humanitarian. And nobody should preach us morals," Katz posted on social media platform X.

The response comes after the Red Cross pleaded for fuel to be allowed in to prevent overwhelmed hospitals from "turning into morgues".

At around 4.30am on Thursday, Israel's military said it was conducting a "large-scale strike" on targets belonging to Hamas in Gaza.

Military spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Hecht said the latest strikes overnight were focused on Hamas' "Nukhba Force", which spearheaded Saturday's attacks. Palestinian gunmen were still trying to infiltrate Israel by sea and the military was still working to secure the Gaza fence, he added.

Hamas media said 15 Palestinians had been killed and several wounded in the latest Israeli air strikes. Witnesses reported Israeli aircraft heavily bombarding Gaza city and Gazan authorities also reported an air strike on the Jabalia refuge camp in northern Gaza.

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The Israeli army said Thursday it was preparing for a ground assault on Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip but that the country's political leaders had not yet taken a decision.

"We are waiting to see what our political leadership decides about a potential ground" incursion, army spokesperson Hecht told journalists.

"This has not been decided yet... But we are preparing for a ground manoeuvre if it is decided," he added.

The army has deployed tens of thousands of troops to the border with the Gaza Strip as it continues with a withering air campaign it says targets Hamas infrastructure, commanders and operating centres in the enclave.

With Palestinian rescue workers overwhelmed, others in the crowded coastal strip searched for bodies in the rubble.

"I was sleeping here when the house collapsed on top of me," one man cried as he and others used flashlights on the stairs of a building hit by missiles to find anyone trapped.

Israeli military says death toll now 1,200, more than 2,700 injured, scores taken hostage. The death toll in Gaza has risen to 1,200, with around 5,600 wounded, Palestinian media reported, citing Gaza's health ministry.

British Airways said it would suspend all its flights to Tel Aviv after it diverted a flight from London back to Britain citing security concerns in Israel.Separately, Virgin Atlantic said it will halt all flights to and from Tel Aviv for the next 72 hours, citing the safety of passengers and crew.

A spokesperson for Israel's airports authority said rockets were flying around Tel Aviv at the time of the British Airways diversion, but there was no immediate threat to the flight or to Ben Gurion Airport..

Aviation authorities have cautioned airlines flying to Israel but haven't grounded flights, though some experts have warned that the current airspace situation was risky due to ongoing rocket attacks.

Since the surprise attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel on Saturday, many international airlines have suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv.

Dubai-based carriers, including Emirates and flydubai, have announced that they will reduce their daily flights to and from Tel Aviv.

Governments and airlines have sought to add flights from Israel to evacuate their country's citizens, while Israeli airlines have sought to fly reservists back to Israel.

The UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, spoke with US President Joe Biden in a phone call and discussed how humanitarian assistance can reach those in need.

The two sides emphasised the critical need to prioritise the protection of civilians and open safe corridors to enable the delivery of humanitarian aid. They also discussed the importance of coordination among regional and international parties in calling for restraint and immediate de-escalation.

Twenty-one Thai nationals have been killed in the conflict between Israel and militant group Hamas, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Thursday, up from the previous toll of 20.

"The update from last night is bad news that one more Thai died, the number rises to 21," he said. There are approximately 30,000 Thais in Israel, mostly working in the agriculture sector, according to Thailand's labour ministry.

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Two Filipinos were also confirmed to have died in Hamas attacks. One was a caregiver who was shot dead with her employer inside their home, while the other was believed to have been captured by the militants. A third fatality is being confirmed, according to authorities.

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu teamed up with a top political rival to create a wartime Cabinet on Wednesday, he vowed to “crush and destroy” Hamas.

“Every Hamas member is a dead man,” he said in a televised address.

The new Cabinet establishes a degree of unity after years of bitterly divisive politics and at a time when the Israeli military appears increasingly likely to launch a ground offensive into Gaza.

Former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, a centrist opposition leader, spoke live on Israeli television alongside Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant after forming the war cabinet focused entirely on the conflict.

"Our partnership is not political, it is a shared fate," said Gantz. "At this time we are all the soldiers of Israel."