(Bloomberg) — Israel bombed Hamas targets across Gaza on Monday to prevent what it said was an “immediate” threat of rocket fire the group was planning to mark its devastating attack a year ago.
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The move, along with Israel sending troops back into parts of northern Gaza over the weekend, underlined the continuing danger from Hamas. That’s despite the Iran-backed militant organization suffering huge losses since the war erupted, with Israeli officials estimated around half its roughly 35,000 fighters are dead.
In addition to Gaza, Israel is waging a ground and air offensive across its northern border in Lebanon where it’s combating Hezbollah, another Iran-supported group. And Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is widely expected to retaliate in the coming days against Iran for an attack of 200 ballistic missiles last week.
The Israeli prime minister, speaking to troops in northern Israel on Sunday, vowed to press on with the fights across multiple fronts, saying the country’s enemies were on the back foot.
“A year ago we took a terrible blow,” he said. “Since then, we have changed the reality across the board. The entire world is astonished by the blows you are landing on our enemies.”
Israel has been in a state of war since Hamas stormed southern Israeli communities and military bases on Oct. 7 last year, killing 1,200 people and abducting 250. About 100 hostages remain in Gaza, though the Israeli military believes many of them are dead.
Almost 42,000 people have been killed by Israel’s operations in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry there, which doesn’t distinguish between civilian and combatant casualties.
Both Hezbollah and Hamas are considered terrorist organizations by the US and many other countries.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei boasted, in a Hebrew post on X, that Hamas’s assault “set the Zionist regime back 70 years.”
In northern Gaza, the most populated part of the Palestinian territory before the war began, Israel’s stepped up aerial and ground ground attacks. It warned that Hamas is trying to rebuild in the area.
Israel sent troops into southern Lebanon last week, saying it had no choice because diplomatic efforts from the US, France and others to stop Hezbollah’s missiles and drone strikes had failed. Israeli troops are operating in Lebanese villages close to the border, and the military says it’s destroyed thousands of Hezbollah weapons and facilities.
More than 1,500 people have been killed by Israel’s airstrikes in recent weeks and around one million have been displaced, according to Lebanese officials.
Netanyahu’s government has brushed aside calls for a cease-fire with Hezbollah, which is continuing to fire weapons into Israel. His campaign is part of a plan to ensure tens of thousands of displaced Israelis can return to their homes in the north.
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