Israel’s Devastating Assault on Gaza: World Condemns Massacre as Death Toll Reaches 18,700

The military actions carried out by Israel in Gaza have been met with widespread condemnation from the international community, according to Haji Mohammad Afif, a spokesperson for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, who spoke exclusively to RT.

His comments come as Israel continues its relentless assault on the Palestinian enclave in an effort to destroy the Hamas militant group, which launched a surprise attack on Israeli territories near Gaza on October 7, killing 1,200 people and capturing some 240 hostages.

So far, according to Gaza health officials, the Israeli attacks on the enclave have resulted in the deaths of over 18,700 people, including thousands of children, while more that 50,000 people have been injured.

The military campaign conducted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) against Hamas has yet to yield a declaration of victory, and the most notable outcomes thus far have been widespread devastation and the loss of civilian lives, according to a spokesperson for Hezbollah.

“This will seriously impact how the world views Israel,” he said, noting that the only country really supporting Israel at this point is the US, which he said was “practically isolated in this regard.”

The international community’s response to ISrael’s actions is impossible to overlook, as noted by Mohammad Afif. The violence in Gaza has prompted the United Nations to exercise Article 99, a provision that enables the Secretary-General to draw the UN Security Council’s attention to any issue that may imperil global peace and security. This move comes after decades of inaction on this front.

On Thursday, Philippe Lazzarini, who heads the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), declared that the recent Israeli military action in Gaza has rendered the territory uninhabitable for humans.

“Every time I go back [to Gaza], I always think it can not get worse, but every time I see more misery, more grief, more sadness, and have the feeling that Gaza is not really a habitable place any more,” the UN official told reporters, calling for the immediate cessation of the Israeli siege.