Nearly three months after the start of the Gaza war, the Israeli army continues its intensified attacks on the heavily bombarded coastal strip and is achieving success. Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari announced on Saturday evening that troops had now stormed the headquarters of the Islamist Hamas in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. The headquarters of the terrorist organization’s secret service was also located there. “More than 8,000 terrorists have already been eliminated” in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday evening, according to a statement from his office. This information could not be independently verified.
Israel’s army: battle in the north against the last Hamas stronghold
According to their own statements, the armed forces are currently mainly concentrating on the south of the coastal area with the city of Khan Yunis and on the central Gaza Strip. Israel suspects that the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Jihia Sinwar, is hiding in the underground tunnels under Khan Yunis. “We are intensifying the fight against Hamas,” Netanyahu said. In the north, the Israeli army says it is trying to exert full control over the area. The focus there is now on the last remaining Hamas stronghold in the city of Gaza, the Tufah district, army spokesman Hagari explained.
The destruction is taking place on a large scale
Israel’s weeks of bombing have caused massive destruction in the closed-off coastal strip, which is barely larger than the city of Munich. As the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Israeli military alone had dropped 29,000 bombs by mid-December. Nearly 70 percent of the 439,000 houses and apartments were damaged or destroyed. The industrial zone in the north has also been almost completely destroyed, according to a World Bank analysis.
“The word ‘Gaza’ will go down in history like Dresden and other famous cities that were bombed,” the newspaper quoted Robert Pape, a political scientist at the University of Chicago. Given the catastrophic humanitarian situation and the high number of civilian casualties, Israel has recently come under increasing international criticism. But the government remains strict. “Hamas will be defeated,” Netanyahu said, quoting the words of army chief Herzi Halevi: “The war will continue for many months.”
The Israeli head of government refuses to resign
However, after a year in power, Netanyahu is also under strong domestic pressure. The head of government encounters distrust among his own population. According to polls, the majority of Israelis want him to step down at the latest after the end of the Gaza war. However, Netanyahu refused to resign on Saturday. “The only thing I’m moving away from is Hamas. That’s what I’m dealing with,” he said, according to the Times of Israel.
Many people accuse the Israeli head of government of not yet recognizing his personal responsibility for allowing the October 7 Hamas massacre to take place in Israel.
Palestinian terrorist organization: hostage killed in airstrike
One of the hostages still held in Gaza has been killed in an airstrike, according to a Palestinian terrorist group. The Israeli army had previously tried to free the Israeli soldier, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said on Saturday. The attempt failed. The information could not be independently verified. The Israeli military declined to comment.
There was another firefight on Israel’s border with Lebanon
Meanwhile, the army also ended a large-scale attack on local Hezbollah militia targets on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon on Saturday, the spokesman said. Three “terrorist cells were eliminated”. The army will continue to attack Hezbollah’s military positions in southern Lebanon.
“The southern region of Lebanon will not return to what it once was,” Hagari continued. Over the course of Saturday, several rockets were detected from Lebanon to Israel. 80 percent of Hezbollah’s rockets fell on Lebanese territory. This too could not be independently verified.
Since the start of the Gaza war, there have been repeated clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah on the border. There were deaths and injuries on both sides. It is the worst escalation since the second Lebanon war in 2006. Hezbollah has ties with Hamas in Gaza, but is considered more powerful. It is also considered the most important non-state ally of Israel’s arch-enemy Iran.
Israel hopes for Germany’s help
Israeli opposition politician Benny Gantz asked Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) for support in keeping the Hezbollah militia away from the Israeli border. “The State of Israel cannot accept such a threat and Germany must play an important role together with the international community to ensure that this threat is eliminated,” Gantz wrote on Platform X on Saturday.
Another rocket attack by the Houthis
Meanwhile, Israel’s main ally in the southern Red Sea says it has intercepted two more missiles from Yemen-based Houthi rebels. The US Navy responded to a call for help from a Danish container ship that had previously been hit by a missile, the responsible regional command announced on Sunday morning on X. However, the ship was reportedly seaworthy and no injuries were reported.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, the Houthis have repeatedly attacked ships in the Red Sea, one of the most important shipping lanes for global trade. They also attack Israel directly with rockets.
What will be important on Sunday?
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip remains catastrophic. Nevertheless, the Israeli army continues to intensify its attacks in the area. (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.
