Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant has announced that this Monday he has ordered a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, meaning the Palestinian enclave will be without electricity, food and fuel supplies amid a war between Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas.
"I have given an order: Gaza will be under total blockade. We are fighting against barbaric terrorists and we will respond accordingly," the minister said, according to a statement from his office. "There will be no electricity, there will be no food, there will be no fuel. Nothing will go out and nothing will come in. We are fighting animals and we will act accordingly."
Still trying to recover from the surprise attack by Hamas, Israel is reportedly preparing for another attack. According to The Washington Post, a significant action is expected in the next 24 or 48 hours.
In this context, and after declaring war, the Jewish state is mobilizing and has already called up some 300,000 Israeli army reservists, who have been called to report for duty, which means "the largest and fastest recruitment that has ever been carried out" in the history of this country.
It should be remembered, in this sense, that Israel has maintained an air, land and sea blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, when Hamas took control of the enclave which, with 2.2 million inhabitants, has 'one single power plant that needs fuel to operate and supply hospitals, homes and shelters.
Hamas attacks Israel
Israel awoke to a major shock on the last day of the Jewish festivities, and to the sound of sirens, as Hamas fired rockets from the Gaza Strip and launched an incursion into Israeli territory. Armed militants found a way through or round the high-tech barriers surrounding the strip to penetrate Israel by shooting and taking hostages. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel was at war and that the Palestinians would pay a high price, and the first consequences have already arrived.
Thus, army reservists have been called up and a wave of airstrikes has been launched on the Gaza enclave. Netanyahu reportedly warned the Palestinians in Gaza to "get out immediately", but in fact, that there is nowhere to run for those living in this blockaded territory.
The outlook is now uncertain. After the attack by Hamas, Israel has vowed revenge. Despite the fact that Hamas now has hostages it intends to use as bargaining chips, it is possible that Netanyahu will use all the weaponry and technology available to launch an attack on not only the Gaza Strip, but the West Bank as well.
Did Israel's intelligence services fail?
The offensive that began on Saturday was thus a surprising and unprecedented offensive by Hamas and Islamic Jihad and, in turn, a failure for Israeli intelligence services. It is believed that Hamas may have been planning this attack for months, but the question is: how did it pull it off? Above all, because it must be emphasized that Israel's surveillance of Gaza is intense, maintaining a close watch over activities, communication and daily life.