Israel expands combat operations against Hamas – the night update without photos How Switzerland is fighting the war in the Middle East – and who stands in its way

Israel now wants to expand military action against the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip after two weeks of bombardments. “We are stepping up attacks and minimizing the danger,” Israeli media quoted army spokesman Daniel Hagari as saying on Saturday. “We must enter the next phase of the war under the best conditions.” It is unclear whether this relates to the expected ground offensive. Israel is also taking increasing action against militant Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. On Sunday evening, the army said it had attacked a “terror cell” at a mosque in the Jenin refugee camp shortly before a planned attack.

Israel bombs “terror cell” in mosque

The Al-Ansar Mosque was home to an underground “terror complex” of the Islamist Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which was planning a new terrorist attack, the Israeli military said on Telegram. According to unconfirmed media reports, two Palestinians were killed in the attack.

There have also been violent incidents on Israel’s border with Lebanon, raising concerns about an escalation of the conflict. After renewed shelling and attempted rocket launches from Lebanon, the Israeli army said it had attacked “terror cells” in southern Lebanon. The army said on Saturday that there had been “hits”.

At the same time, there is a threat of a further intensification of attacks in the Gaza Strip: “We will enter the Gaza Strip for an operational, professional mission: destroying Hamas activists and infrastructure, army chief Herzi Halevi announced on Saturday.

Since the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, which killed 1,400 people in Israel and kidnapped more than 200 people as hostages in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army has bombed hundreds of targets in the Gaza Strip on the Mediterranean Sea. According to official figures, most of those killed in the Hamas attack in Israel were civilians.

According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, 4,385 Palestinians have died there so far, 62 percent of them children and women. More than a thousand people are missing.

UN on the situation in the Gaza Strip: the world must do more

Despite the initial aid to the Gaza Strip, UN humanitarian agencies warn that the situation there is likely to deteriorate further. They called on Saturday evening for a ceasefire and unhindered access for humanitarian workers and supplies. Deaths could rise sharply due to disease outbreaks and lack of care. The Gaza Strip was already in a desperate situation. “Now the situation is catastrophic. The world must do more.”

After lengthy negotiations, twenty trucks carrying aid from Egypt were allowed to enter the Gaza Strip for the first time on Saturday. On the same day, several heads of state and government from the Middle East, as well as representatives of the UN and Western countries, met at a “summit for peace” in the Egyptian capital Cairo, but there was no hope of easing – also because Israel was not invited . Israel’s attacks were sharply criticized, but so was Hamas’s terror.

Hope for the release of more hostages

Following the release of two American hostages from Hamas captivity, there is cautious hope that more hostages will be released. This is “also a small ray of hope for others,” said Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) after the Middle East summit in Cairo. The hostages, including Germans, were central. Qatar, which mediated the release of the first two hostages, expressed optimism. “We are on a path that will very soon lead to the release of the hostages, especially the civilians,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid al-Ansari told “Welt am Sonntag.” According to a spokesperson, Hamas does not want to negotiate the release of Israeli soldiers until after the war.

Meanwhile, according to the Israeli military, more ultra-Orthodox Jews want to serve in the army. The number of questions from this group is increasing in the Gaza war, army spokesman Hagari said on Saturday. Many strictly religious men typically try to avoid military service, causing great anger among other parts of the population. In recent days, the army has received more than 2,000 inquiries from ultra-Orthodox people. The military says it plans to start calling for volunteers starting Monday.

Turkiye and Egypt want the violence to stop

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Hamas chief Ismail Haniya to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip. As the Turkish government’s press service announced on Platform

After the Cairo summit, Egypt continues to call for a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians. An “independent Palestinian state” should emerge in a short time if the current crisis has led to a “new political spirit”, the Egyptian presidential office announced on Saturday. “Palestinians should enjoy all the rights that other people enjoy” – especially a state that embodies their identity.

That will be important on Sunday

A large demonstration in solidarity with Israel is planned in Berlin. Meanwhile, Israel continues to prepare a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. Even after the first aid supplies arrived, the situation of people in the area sealed off by Israel is catastrophic and threatens to deteriorate further, according to the United Nations. (sda/dpa)