Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Monday the country has ordered a “total siege” of Gaza following Hamas launching an attack on Israel over the weekend.
“We are fighting barbaric terrorists and we will act accordingly,” Gallant said.
The siege means no food, fuel, or electricity will be allowed to enter the Hamas-ruled territory.
According to the United Nations, the attack has left over 123,000 people displaced after homes and businesses were destroyed. 73,000 people are currently sheltering in schools, according to the U.N.
Hamas militants launched a new attack Monday morning with rockets hitting near Ben Gurion International Airport in southern Israel. Meanwhile, four Israeli hostages were killed alongside their Hamas captors in Israeli airstrikes on Sunday night.
The United States is warning against other countries getting involved in the conflict, amid fears that it could turn into a bigger war in the Middle East.
“This is not the moment for other parties who are hostile to Israel to seek advantage or to seek to exploit the attacks that have taken place,” Jon Finer, deputy national security adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden, said Monday.
“That is part of why the United States has moved the Carrier Strike Group to the eastern Mediterranean to send a strong and unmistakeable signal that no one else should get involved in this,” he added. “We’ll see how things unfold in the course of the coming days.”
At least nine Americans have been killed in Israel since Saturday as a result of attacks.
