The Israeli military said it expanded its ground operations in the Gaza Strip over the Christmas weekend, focusing on the Islamist Hamas’ extensive tunnel network. The troops were involved in “complex fighting in densely populated areas” and tracked down “terrorist infrastructures”, especially in the underground tunnels, army spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Saturday evening. Destroying the tunnels in the southern city of Khan Yunis and other areas would be time-consuming. The army had previously stated that it was now approaching full control of the northern coastal strip.
To alleviate the horrific suffering of the civilian population, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution on Friday after days of fighting calling for an increase in humanitarian aid. However, the watered-down compromise text does not call for an immediate ceasefire. The US, as Israel’s most important ally, abstained from the vote. According to the White House, US President Joe Biden made it clear in a telephone call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday that civilians, including humanitarian workers, must be protected at all costs.
According to the United Nations, one in four Palestinians in Gaza is at risk of starvation. In recent discussions with the Israeli leadership, the US government has repeatedly pushed for more targeted military operations that should focus on Hamas’s leadership. According to Israel, this is hidden in the tunnels under the coastal area. To destroy them, for example, technical forces in the southern city of Khan Yunis have been significantly expanded, army spokesman Hagari said on Saturday evening. The capabilities of the division fighting there would be further expanded in the coming days.
Under the Gaza Strip there is a kilometer-long network of tunnels in which, according to Israel, a number of Hamas terrorists are hiding and are also holding hostages from Israel. To withstand Israeli bombs from the air, some tunnels extend tens of meters underground. The terrorists also use the underground routes to appear out of nowhere and attack from behind. Many of the tunnels are booby-trapped to kill Israeli soldiers who enter them.
About 30,000 explosive devices, including anti-tank missiles and rockets owned by the Islamist Hamas, have been destroyed or seized since the war began, Hagari said. The Israeli military had previously announced that it had killed a senior Hamas official responsible for supplying its own weapons.
In the north, Israel says it is trying to take control of the area. However, the Wall Street Journal on Saturday (local time) quoted Israeli military analysts as saying that such a check does not mean the army has eliminated Hamas’s presence. Rather, Israel only limits Hamas’ ability to carry out attacks. Because of the tunnels, Israel cannot consolidate its control over Gaza. The army is now focusing more on the tunnels, it was said.
So far, more than 700 members of terrorist organizations have been captured in the coastal strip during the ground operation, the Israeli army said on Saturday. Within a week alone there were more than 200. They were taken to Israel for interrogation. Some are said to have surrendered. The information could not initially be independently verified.
The war was sparked by the worst attack in Israel’s history, carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7 near the border with the Gaza Strip. As a result, more than 1,200 people were killed on the Israeli side. Israel responded with massive air strikes and began the ground offensive in late October. More than 20,000 people have been killed in the area since then, according to Hamas’ health authority in Gaza.
Meanwhile, sirens sounded again in northern Israel on Sunday morning, the army announced. Mutual attacks had previously taken place again on the border with Lebanon. The army announced on Saturday that Israeli soldiers had attacked a military compound and other targets of the Shiite militia Hezbollah in the neighboring country. Several rocket launches and mortar attacks towards Israel were registered from Lebanon. The Hezbollah militia is closely linked to Israel’s arch-enemy Iran.
According to information from US intelligence services, he is closely involved in the planning of attacks by Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea. According to the US Department of Defense, Iran is also responsible for a drone attack on a merchant ship in the Arabian Sea off the coast of India. The Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker “MV Chem Pluto” was hit by an attack drone from Iran on Saturday, the Pentagon in Washington said. A fire on board the tanker was extinguished. There were no deaths or injuries in the incident, the statement said on Saturday (local time).
The Israeli army is increasingly expanding its fight against Hamas. The situation is becoming increasingly dramatic for citizens due to a lack of relief supplies. Meanwhile, Christmas is celebrated in silence due to the war in the Holy Land. Access to the West Bank city of Bethlehem is extremely limited due to Israeli army roadblocks. But midnight mass should take place. (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.
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