Israel boosts army readiness ahead of October 7 anniversary — The Hindu

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to be placed on heightened alert ahead of the third anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. The minister’s office said the decision was made due to intelligence indicating that Hamas intended to carry out attacks and terrorist operations against Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip on that day, The Hindu reports.

Warning from Katz’s office

The defense minister’s office said that if Israeli servicemen are harmed, Hamas and Gaza’s population will pay a heavy price, and the consequences will be disproportionate.

The Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, was the deadliest day in Israel’s history. According to an AFP tally based on official Israeli data, 1,221 people were killed. Militants also took 251 hostages to Gaza, 44 of whom were already dead at the time of their abduction.

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Casualties in the Gaza Strip

In response, Israel launched a military operation that left most of the Gaza Strip in ruins. According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, more than 74,200 people were killed in the operation. The UN considers the ministry’s statistics reliable.

According to the ministry, Israeli forces have killed more than 1,440 people in Gaza since a ceasefire was declared in October last year. During a state ceremony on October 5, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas would not govern Gaza and pledged to continue striking everyone involved in the attack or holding hostages.