As the Israeli military expands its ground operations against Islamist Hamas in the central and southern Gaza Strip, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation continue in the background. However, Israeli Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi said the fighting will continue for “many months.” There are “no magic solutions”. Hamas also wants to keep fighting. According to a media report, Egypt’s proposal to gradually end the war is not off the table. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden spoke with Qatar’s emir about “urgent efforts” to release all hostages and facilitate aid deliveries to Gaza, the White House announced on Tuesday.
The fighting in the densely populated and cordoned-off coastal strip would be fought in a “complex” environment, Halevi said on Tuesday evening. “So the war will continue for many months, and we will proceed in different ways so that success is maintained over time,” the Israeli chief of staff said. “There are no magic solutions or shortcuts to fundamentally dismantle a terrorist organization, only a persistent and determined fight,” Halevi continued.
“We will also approach the Hamas leadership, whether it takes a week or months,” Halevi said. The Israeli army is close to completing the dismantling of Hamas battalions in the northern Gaza Strip. “We are currently focusing our efforts on the southern Gaza Strip – Khan Yunis, the central camps and beyond,” he said. The information could not initially be independently verified. The UN human rights office previously expressed concern about Israel’s continued bombardment in the central Gaza Strip.
Since Christmas Eve, 137 people have died in two refugee camps alone, the agency said on Tuesday, citing information from the organization Doctors Without Borders. Three refugee camps were hit. All roads between the camps have been destroyed, making the supply of relief supplies considerably more difficult. This information could not initially be independently verified. According to Palestinian companies in the West Bank, telecommunications services were once again unavailable. It was said that the Gaza Strip was once again cut off from the outside world.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday in the Wall Street Journal mentioned the dismantling of Hamas and the demilitarization of Gaza as a condition for peace. However, he is under domestic political pressure to guarantee the release of all hostages in Gaza. During a multi-day ceasefire in late November, 105 hostages were exchanged for 240 Palestinians.
As the newspaper reported on Wednesday evening, Netanyahu’s war cabinet has forwarded Egypt’s proposal for a gradual end to the war to a larger group of ministers. Israel is willing to discuss the first phase of the proposal, in which more hostages would be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during a new ceasefire, the Wall Street Journal quoted a senior member of Netanyahu’s Likud party.
According to Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant, his country is facing a war on seven fronts at the same time. This includes Gaza and the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran. “We have already responded and taken action on six of these fronts,” he told Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday, according to the Times of Israel newspaper.
Israel has been under attack not only by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but also by the Houthi rebels in Yemen since the outbreak of the Gaza war. Recently, they have repeatedly attacked ships in the Red Sea – one of the most important shipping lanes for world trade. Another merchant ship was attacked in the Red Sea on Tuesday evening, according to the pro-Iranian group. The crew of the “MSC United” ignored several warnings. It initially remained unclear whether there were any injuries or damage.
Meanwhile, the US military, allied with Israel, said it had shot down 12 attack drones and five missiles fired by Houthi rebels in the southern Red Sea. Fighter planes from an American aircraft carrier group were among those in use, it was said on Tuesday. The Houthis fired the kamikaze drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles over a period of about 10 hours on Tuesday.
On the same day, the Hezbollah militia and the Israeli army again shot at each other in the border area between Israel and Lebanon. The Shiite militia, which operates from Lebanon and is an ally of Iran, said it had shelled military targets in Israel and scored “direct hits.” The Israeli army said it returned fire.
The Israeli army continues ground operations in the south of the Gaza Strip. The situation for the civilian population remains catastrophic. According to a media report, the Israeli cabinet wanted to discuss Egypt’s phase-out plan in an extended circle of ministers. (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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