By Daniel Edu
As Israel maintains its airstrikes against Hamas, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) took the step of dropping leaflets over Beit Lahia in the Gaza Strip, urging civilians to leave their homes and seek shelter.
The Gaza Strip, with a population of 2.3 million, has been subjected to around 6,000 bombs containing a total of 4,000 tonnes of explosives in the ongoing conflict.
These intense aerial attacks occurred as Israel released distressing images of babies who had been tragically killed and subsequently burned by members of Hamas. Reports had previously emerged that entire families, including 40 infants, were massacred at the Kfar Aza kibbutz. Some Israeli soldiers claimed that certain children had been beheaded.
The message on the leaflets read: “For your safety, you must leave your homes immediately and go to shelters. The IDF is not interested in harming you or your family members. Anyone who is near Hamas terrorists or terrorist targets will put their lives in danger.”
Furthermore, the Jerusalem Post stated that they could confirm the veracity of photos showing bodies burned and decapitated in Hamas’s attack on Kfar Aza.
Earlier, an Israeli military spokesperson seemed to validate reports that Hamas militants had committed gruesome acts, including beheading babies. Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson Jonathan Conricus indicated that a coroner who had visited the site of the Kibbutz massacre near the Gaza Strip had examined the children’s bodies and confirmed the manner of their deaths.
