Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Gaza this Monday and promised to further intensify the offensive against Hamas, who reported the death of a hundred inhabitants of that Palestinian territory devastated by over two months of war.
In the last hours, More than 100 people were killed in four Israeli bombings, denounced the Ministry of Health of the Gaza Strip, governed by Hamas since 2007.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, vowed to continue “fighting” and to “intensify clashes in the coming days,” according to a statement from his Likud party.
“It will be a long war that is no closer to the end”he said, after a visit to the besieged territory, where Israel launched a land and air offensive in response to the October 7 Hamas attack.
That day, Hamas commandos infiltrated southern Israel and They killed approximately 1,140 peoplemostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on Israeli data.
Together with other armed groups, They also kidnapped around 240 people and 129 remain captive in Gaza. according to Israeli authorities.
In response, Israel vowed to “annihilate” Hamas and launched an offensive that has already left 20,674 people dead in Gaza, according to the Islamist movement, classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the European Union.
Israeli Air Force they massively bombed Gaza this Monday.
One of the attacks, near the city of Al Zawaida, in the center of the territory, resulted in 12 deaths, according to Hamas. Another caused 18 deaths in Khan Yunis, in the south of the enclave.
The Gaza Ministry of Health also reported this at least 70 people died Sunday by an Israeli bombing in the Al Maghazi refugee camp, in the center of the Strip.
Israeli troops engaged in military operations in the city of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo by XinhuaThe Israeli army reported this to AFP he was “investigating” this “incident”.
Word of the Pope
Pope Francis denounces it from the Vatican in his Christmas message “the desperate humanitarian situation” of the Palestinians in Gaza and called for a ceasefire.
In Gaza, the war has caused widespread devastation and its 2.4 million inhabitants suffer from shortages of water, food, fuel and medicine due to the siege imposed by Israel two days after the Hamas attack.
Since, The population is desperately dependent on the influx of humanitarian aid.
According to the UN, 80% of the population has been displaced by the war, and many have fled to the south of this narrow 362km2 territory and now survive in tents, exposed to the cold.
This was stated by the head of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi “The only way out is a humanitarian ceasefire.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Gaza Strip. AP photoThe director of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, lamented “the destruction of Gaza’s health system”, which he called “a tragedy”.
Netanyahu, however, appears inflexible although he admitted on Sunday that his country is paying “a high price for the war”.
The Israeli army reported the deaths of two more soldiers on Monday, bringing the death toll since Friday to 17. In total, 156 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the start of Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza in late October.
Palestinian fighters fired rockets at Israel on MondayL. Most are usually intercepted by Israel’s missile defense system.
The Israeli leader explained to Parliament on Monday that troops needed “more time” to free hostages still held captive in Gaza.
But his speech was interrupted by the hostages’ relatives. “Now now!” they shouted at Netanyahu.
“What if it was your son”, “80 days, every minute is hell”, read the banners raised by the families during the session.
In the evening, some relatives gathered outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, shortly before a scheduled war cabinet meeting.
“Release our hostages now! Whatever the price!”one of the posters said.
The Israeli army said it found the vehicle of a hostage kidnapped by Hamas and killed “by mistake” by Israeli troops in a Gaza hospital compound.
“The discovery of the vehicle directly links the hospital to the brutal events of October 7,” he noted. This information cannot be independently confirmed.
Since the start of the war, the Israeli army has accused Hamas of using hospitals as “command centers” for its operations, which the group rejects.
The impacts of the conflict outside the borders of Israel and Gaza have raised fears of regional escalation.
After the multiplication of attacks against ships in the Red Sea, claimed mainly by Yemen’s Houthi rebelsThe United States has accused Iran of being “deeply involved” in planning these attacks, a charge Tehran denies.
Iran on Monday announced the death of a top Revolutionary Guard general in an Israeli bombing in Syria, and President Ebrahim Raisi vowed that Israel will “pay” for the killing of a top military leader.
AFP agency
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.