According to a Wednesday report in The Wall Street Journal, at least 500 members of both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic terrorists reportedly received “specialized combat training” in Iran weeks before the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
As noted in the report, Iranian Brig. Gen. Esmail Qaani, the head of Quds Force, attended the training activities led by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. During a press conference on Wednesday, IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari accused Iran of helping Hamas plan the attack.Â
Per The Times of Israel, He noted that Iran directly assisted Hamas “before the war, with training, supplying weapons, money and technological know-how.”
“Iranian aid to Hamas continues in the form of intelligence and online incitement against the State of Israel,” he added.
According to Israeli authorities, more than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel and more than 5,400 injured since Hamas’s terrorist attack on Oct. 7. Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry said that Israeli attacks have killed at least 7,028 people in Gaza and wounded more than 18,400.
On Thursday, the Israeli military sent tanks into the northern Gaza Strip in what is considered a “targeted” raid ahead of a possible ground incursion into the war-torn country.Â
According to The Washington Post, the raid is considered a “part of preparations for the next stages of combat.” Meanwhile, President Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was “preparing for a ground incursion” of Gaza, even though he did not specify when that would occur. Â
Lynn Hastings, The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said Thursday that although Israeli has warned Gaza residents to flee their homes amid the threat of strikes, they have nowhere else to go.Â
“For people who can’t evacuate — because they have nowhere to go or are unable to move — advance warnings make no difference,” Hastings said in a statement.
She noted that Palestinians in both the north and south of Gaza lack access to basic needs for survival and had “no assurances for return.” Meanwhile, Palestinians have moved to southern Gaza following Israeli warnings for people to move to the south for shelter. However, Israeli strikes have struck southern Gaza.
“People are left with nothing but impossible choices,” Hastings said. “Nowhere is safe in Gaza.”
She also stressed the importance of upholding international humanitarian law, which she said “means that civilians must be protected and have the essentials to survive” and “that hostages — all hostages — must be released, immediately and unconditionally.”Â
Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Ahmad Hasaballah / Stringer
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for Christian Headlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Salem Web Network and Salem Media Group.
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