As the Israeli army continues fighting in the Gaza Strip and tensions rise across the Middle East, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces sharp headwinds at home. Thousands of people demonstrated in Israel on Saturday against him and his government, demanding an immediate end to the war to free more than a hundred hostages held by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip. In the evening, army spokesman Daniel Hagari presented photos of an underground dungeon where the terrorists had held hostages “in stuffy air with little oxygen and terrible humidity that makes breathing difficult.”
Attack on base with American soldiers in Iraq
Meanwhile, according to American information, a military base in Iraq used by American soldiers has been attacked. Iran-backed fighters in western Iraq fired several missiles at the Ain Al-Assad base, the US military’s responsible regional command said on Platform X on Saturday. Most of the missiles were intercepted by air defenses, others hit the base . A number of American soldiers are being medically examined. At least one Iraqi soldier was injured.
In response to Israel’s military operation in Gaza, pro-Iranian militias have stepped up their attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria in recent weeks. The attack on the base in Ain Al-Assad came just hours after a suspected Israeli airstrike in the Syrian capital Damascus that killed five members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, including four “military advisors” and a soldier, the elite unit said.
Iran threatens retaliation
Although the Israeli military initially made no comment, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi threatened the arch-enemy with retaliation. The Islamic Republic will not leave the “crime of the Zionist regime” unanswered, state radio quoted him as saying. The airstrike in Syria and the attack on the US military base in Iraq are part of a series of attacks and reprisals in the Middle East since the start of the Gaza war more than three months ago and are fueling the concerns that if the conflict worsens, it could develop into a larger regional war.
Netanyahu contradicts Biden
The US is pushing for the creation of an independent Palestinian state to resolve the crisis. However, on Saturday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected US President Joe Biden’s claim that a two-state solution after the Gaza war was feasible with him as head of government. “I will not compromise on full Israeli security control over the entire area west of the Jordan – and that contradicts a Palestinian state,” Netanyahu wrote on Platform X.
After a phone call with Netanyahu, when journalists asked him whether a two-state solution was impossible while Netanyahu was still in office, Biden said: “No, it is not.” According to the Jerusalem Post, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office made it clear in a statement that Netanyahu had reiterated the position he has consistently defended for years in his conversation with Biden.
Netanyahu: Israel maintains security control in Gaza
“After eliminating Hamas, Israel must maintain full security control over the Gaza Strip to ensure that the Gaza Strip does not pose a threat to Israel, and this contradicts the demand for Palestinian sovereignty,” Netanyahu’s office said.
Just before the meeting with Biden, Netanyahu had rejected a two-state solution pushed by the key US ally, saying: “Israel’s prime minister must be able to say ‘no’ if necessary, even to our closest friends.” Biden told reporters in Washington after the phone call with Netanyahu that he thought they could find a solution. There are “different types of two-state solutions.”
Guterres also calls for a two-state solution
UN Secretary General António Guterres also once again spoke out in favor of a two-state solution. “The right of the Palestinian people to establish their own state must be recognized by all,” Guterres said on Saturday. The denial of the right to a state of their own to the Palestinian people is unacceptable.
Relatives of the hostages demand an end to the fighting
“Stop fighting, pay the price!” Israeli media quoted one of the participants in a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv, whose cousin is among the hostages held in Gaza, as quoted by Israeli media. However, Netanyahu and his colleagues say that only the military defeat of Hamas can lead to the liberation of the kidnapped. There are currently 136 hostages being held in the coastal area. Israel believes that about 25 hostages are no longer alive.
In a tunnel under the home of a Hamas terrorist in the hotly contested town of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, the army discovered a dungeon holding 20 hostages. They were there at different times, and some of them have since been released in a Palestinian prisoner swap, army spokesman Hagari said. He also showed images of children’s drawings that were allegedly made by a five-year-old girl who was among the hostages released at the end of November.
The situation of the people of Gaza remains catastrophic
Meanwhile, the situation for Palestinian civilians in Gaza remains dire. While the United Nations calls for unhindered access for humanitarian aid and warns of famine, Israel points to continued deliveries. Nearly 10,000 truckloads of aid have arrived in the coastal area since the start of the Gaza war, Israel’s Cogat authority, which is responsible for contacts with the Palestinians and humanitarian aid, said on Platform 100 trucks per day. Before the war broke out, around 500 trucks full of humanitarian supplies entered the area every day.
What will be important on Sunday?
Iran has announced retaliation for the deaths of several Revolutionary Guard members following a suspected Israeli airstrike in Syria. Nevertheless, Israel continues the fight in Gaza against the Iranian-backed Hamas. (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.
