“We are preparing for a ground attack”
Despite calls for a humanitarian ceasefire, Israel remains committed to its plans for a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip against the Islamist Hamas. “We are preparing for a ground attack. I will not say when, how and how much,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address on Wednesday evening. “All Hamas members are doomed to die – above ground, underground, in Gaza and outside Gaza.” Meanwhile, the French leadership promised medical aid to people suffering from thirst and hunger in the densely populated coastal strip.
France wants to provide medical assistance
From this Thursday, French planes carrying medical supplies should land in Egypt, President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday after a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo. The United Nations refugee agency for the Palestinians, UNRWA, had previously warned of an impending end to all humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. The World Health Organization (WHO) said hospitals in the coastal region had already had to close due to a lack of fuel. Israel continues to block fuel supplies to the area because it could strengthen Hamas and there are fears it could be misused for terrorist purposes. The Islamist organization itself has large fuel reserves, but withholds them from its own population.
Netanyahu: Israel is waging a “battle for its existence”
Meanwhile, the war between Hamas and Israel continues relentlessly. Members of Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the US and EU, said they had fired two long-range rockets towards Haifa in Israel’s north and Eilat in Israel’s south. Rocket alarms have gone off in places south of Haifa, the Israeli army announced on Wednesday. According to the army, there was also another rocket alarm in the larger area of the Israeli coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv.
Israel is in the midst of a “struggle for its existence,” Netanyahu said. Thousands of terrorists have already been killed since the Islamist Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians on October 7 and this is “just the beginning.”
Military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Wednesday evening that the Israeli air force continued to attack targets in the Gaza Strip in preparation for a ground offensive. The ‘underground terrorist infrastructure’ was also hit. “Every strike improves our situation for the next phases,” Hagari said. An extensive tunnel system runs under the densely populated coastal strip, in which hostages were allegedly kidnapped by Hamas during the major attack on Israel.
Biden: I did not call for a delay in the ground offensive
US President Joe Biden says he has not asked Israel to postpone the announced ground offensive. He made it clear to Netanyahu that – if possible – the hostages in the Gaza Strip should be safely released, Biden said at a press conference in Washington on Wednesday. “It’s your decision. But I didn’t ask for it.” Biden was asked whether he had received assurances from Netanyahu that the ground offensive would be postponed until the release of the hostages was secured. The US president then said: “No.”
The UN Security Council remains divided
The UN Security Council is currently unable to agree on a resolution with a humanitarian focus in the Gaza war. Both a draft resolution from the US and a draft resolution from Russia failed on Wednesday at the most powerful UN body. The American text, which, among other things, emphasized Israel’s right to self-defense and called for a humanitarian ceasefire, was blocked by vetoes from Russia and China. The Russian proposal, which, among other things, called for a ceasefire, received only four yes votes in the committee, which includes fifteen states.
Egyptian President Al-Sisi warned of an expansion of the war after his meeting with Macron. “We see with great concern that the cycle of violence could spread to other parties in the region,” Al-Sisi said on Wednesday. The stated goal of the war is to eliminate Hamas and other armed groups in the Gaza Strip. “The invasion of the Gaza Strip could lead to many civilian casualties,” he warned – therefore it must be prevented. It is important to use this time to free hostages.
According to the WHO, the approximately 200 hostages held by Hamas are in urgent need of medical care. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) must be given immediate access to the abductees, who must be released anyway, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus demanded on Wednesday evening.
Violence continues on Israel’s northern border and in the West Bank
Meanwhile, renewed mutual shelling took place on the border between Israel and Lebanon. And the violence also continues in the West Bank: according to Palestinian information, more than 100 people have been killed in clashes there since the Hamas terrorist attack. US President Biden expressed concern about the violent actions of settlers in the West Bank and condemned the violence against Palestinians. “I remain concerned about extremist settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank,” Biden said on Wednesday. “This has to stop now.” Such attacks are like pouring gasoline on a fire.
What will be important on Thursday
The heads of state and government of the EU member states want to discuss at a summit how the EU can help prevent a regional escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. On the same day, French planes carrying medical supplies will land in Egypt. According to Macron, a French navy ship should leave southern France within two days to support hospitals in Gaza. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
