With its offensive in the Gaza Strip, Israel claims to have dismantled the military structure of the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas in the north of the coastal region. During the operations, the soldiers also came into possession of important intelligence-relevant information. Meanwhile, top Western diplomats continue to work with countries in the region to de-escalate the conflict. An agreement over the hostages still held in the Gaza Strip could become more difficult from the perspective of the mediating Gulf emirate Qatar following the killing of a key Hamas leader in Lebanon, a report said.
Hamas structure dismantled in northern Gaza
On Sunday evening, the Israeli army published videos on X about the operation in the north of the Gaza Strip. Spokesman Daniel Hagari said that before the start of the war, Hamas had two brigades with 12 regiments in the north. “In total there were about 14,000 terrorists,” he said. Since then, numerous commanders have been killed and weapons and ammunition destroyed. The soldiers found underground tunnels and destroyed them.
According to Hagari, eight kilometers of underground tunnels and 40 entrances were found in the Jabalia refugee district alone. Hamas no longer functions in an organized manner in this area. “There are still terrorists in Jabalia, but now they act without a framework and without commanders.” However, he expects continued sporadic rocket attacks on Israel from this area. The army says it now wants to focus on destroying Hamas structures in the central and southern Gaza Strip. According to Israel, about 8,000 terrorists have been killed so far.
Possible photo of Hamas phantom
In the course of the offensive, Israel also appears to have acquired new information about a Hamas leader in hiding. The military released a photo purporting to show the head of Hamas’ armed wing, Mohammed Deif. It shows a gray-haired, bearded man with some banknotes in his left hand and a plastic cup with liquid in his right. Until the start of the war, Israel had only very old photographs of the man believed to be one of the central masterminds of the terrorist attack. A newer photo of Deif surfaced in December. For years he was considered a ghost and had survived numerous attempts by Israel to kill him.
Israel had long believed that Deif had lost several limbs. But in December, Israeli media reported that the military had found a video showing Deif with both arms and both legs. “Together with (the domestic secret service) Shin Bet, we interrogated terrorist activists,” Hagari said. “As a result, we obtained information on senior Hamas leaders, including documentation from Mohammed Deif and also information on Hamas leaders outside the Gaza Strip.”
Shelling in northern Israel
In addition to the fighting in Gaza, renewed shootings also took place on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. The Shiite militia Hezbollah said it fired a total of 62 rockets into Israel on Saturday, more than normal. The militia, allied with Iran and Hamas, targeted a military base near Meron in northern Israel. Hezbollah said the attack was an “initial response” to the killing of Islamist Hamas’s second-highest leader abroad, Saleh al-Aruri, in Beirut on Tuesday. She suspects that Israel was behind the crime.
Due to the killing of Al-Aruri, the Gulf emirate of Qatar believes that a new deal to release Hamas hostages could be difficult. The news portal ‘Axios’ reported this on Sunday evening, citing an Israeli source and a Qatari official. Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said this to several families of Israeli hostages who met him in the capital Doha.
More deaths according to Hamas authorities
Meanwhile, people continue to die in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, with the number of residents killed rising to 22,722, the Hamas-controlled health authority announced on Saturday. That was 122 more than the day before. In addition, a total of 58,166 injuries were registered, of which 256 within 24 hours. The Israeli army continued its battle against Hamas in several parts of the coastal strip, which is only about 40 kilometers long and between 6 and 12 kilometers wide. In the heavily contested town of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, an unspecified number of opponents were killed and the entrances to Hamas tunnels and weapons depots were destroyed.
Senior diplomats on a trip to the Middle East
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the Jordanian capital Amman in the hope of de-escalating the conflict. “Jordan is a critical partner in helping prevent the conflict from spreading in the region,” Blinken’s spokesman Matthew Miller wrote on X on Sunday evening. Blinken also wanted Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Visit Israel, the West Bank and Egypt. At the same time, EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell campaigned for de-escalation in Lebanon.
What will be important on Sunday?
Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock travels to Israel again. At the start of her visit, the Green politician wanted to meet her new counterpart Israel Katz. A conversation with President Izchak Herzog was also planned. This probably concerns attempts to release the hostages kidnapped by the Islamic Hamas. The humanitarian situation of the people of the Gaza Strip and a possible two-state solution after the end of the Gaza war are also likely to be discussed. US Secretary of State Blinken is also traveling to the Middle East and is expected to visit Israel in the coming days. (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.
