Live. Gaza engulfed by humanitarian crisis, as safe corridor rejected

Israeli energy minister Israel Katz says no electricity or water will be supplied to the Gaza Strip until those captured during Hamas’ Saturday assault are returned home.

“Humanitarian aid to Gaza? No electrical switch will be turned on, no water pump will be opened and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli abductees are returned home,” he posted on X. 

“Humanitarianism for humanitarianism. And no one can preach morality to us,” he continued.

The fate of an estimated 150 people abducted and taken as hostages to the Gaza Strip during the Hamas attack is still unclear. 

Rocket sirens are blaring in several Israeli towns on the border with the Gaza Strip.

No damage or injuries were immediately reported. 

The Israel Defense Forces says it has deployed reservist forces to towns on the Lebanon border, amid a general reinforcement in northern Israel.

“The forces are carrying out various defence tasks in the towns, which include patrols, ambushes, and the deployment of roadblocks, in order to ensure the safety of the residents,” notes the IDF. 

Tensions are at a fever pitch in northern Israel, where Israeli forces have clashed with Hezbollah fighters. 

The Israeli military says it is preparing for a possible ground operation in Gaza but that the political leadership has not yet decided on one. Lt. Col. Richard Hecht told reporters Thursday that forces “are preparing for a ground manoeuvre if decided.”

Israel has called up some 360,000 army reservists and has threatened an unprecedented response to Hamas’ bloody, wide-ranging incursion over the weekend.

It has been launching intense airstrikes on Gaza since the attack by Hamas on Saturday, as militants have fired thousands of rockets into Israel.

Former US President Donald Trump has