Two hostages rescued
The Israeli army says it has rescued two hostages during massive nighttime attacks in the Rafah area of southern Gaza Strip.
The two 60 and 70 year old abductees were rescued during a joint operation by the army, security forces and Israeli police in Rafah and were in good health, the Israeli army said early Monday morning.
The two hostages released that night were also abducted during Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre to the closed Mediterranean coastal area, the report said. They have now been taken to a hospital for medical examination.
There are currently 136 people in Hamas custody, but according to the Israeli army, at least 30 of them are no longer alive. According to media reports, the number of deaths could now be as many as 50. Security forces would continue to try to bring the hostages home “by all means necessary,” the Israeli army said on Monday.
Attacks on Rafah with hundreds injured
Shortly before the hostages were rescued, the army announced a series of attacks in the Shabura area near Rafah. where hundreds of thousands of Palestinian displaced persons are currently seeking protection. According to Palestinian reports, more than a hundred people, including children and women, were killed in the overnight attacks.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported early Monday morning, citing medical personnel in Rafah, that hundreds more people were injured in the intense attacks in several parts of the city of Rafah. According to Arabic television channel Al-Jazeera, several houses and mosques were targeted by the Israeli army during the series of attacks. According to eyewitnesses, the Israeli army had previously attacked targets in the city from the air several times. Israeli ground troops have not yet been deployed there.
According to a brief message from the Israeli military on Telegram, the overnight series of attacks had ended. No details were given.
The information provided by both parties could not initially be independently verified.
Netanyahu justifies army actions
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the country’s army on Friday to prepare an offensive on Rafah. “It is impossible to achieve the war goal of eliminating Hamas if four Hamas battalions remain in Rafah.”, he said. The army must therefore prepare the evacuation of civilians in Rafah.
According to him, the number of hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip justifies Israel’s massive military action. Asked how many hostages he knows are still alive, Netanyahu said in an interview with American broadcaster ABC News on Sunday: “I think enough to justify the efforts we are making.”
Many relatives of the hostages accuse Netanyahu of torpedoing negotiations led by international mediators that would lead to a ceasefire in the war with Hamas and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
Biden demands that Israel have plans to protect the people in Rafah
Before moving ahead with the planned military offensive in Rafah in the Gaza Strip, Biden called on Israel to come up with a convincing concept to protect the civilian population there.
In a phone call with Netanyahu on Sunday, Biden reiterated that “it takes one credible and implementable plan to guarantee the safety of the more than one million people seeking refuge there», the White House in Washington said. The US president also called for concrete steps towards increased humanitarian aid.
The US government has also expressed concerns to Israel about the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins on March 10, the New York Times reported. An attack on Rafah during Ramadan could be seen as particularly provocative by Muslims in the region and beyond, the report said.
The plan for the Rafah offensive still needs time
Israel is planning a military offensive on Rafah, leading to significant international criticism. According to a media report, planning is still ongoing.
It will “probably take some time” and has not yet been presented to Netanyahu, the New York Times quoted Israeli officials and analysts as saying on Sunday (local time). The strategy is “very complex”. Israel’s plans were met with international criticism. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) warned that this would be “a humanitarian catastrophe”. Egypt fears that desperate Palestinians could storm Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
Avi poet from Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party suggested that residents of Israel’s closed-off Gaza Strip could be moved to an area west of Rafah along the coast, the New York Times reported. Yaakov Amidror, a former general and national security adviser, also sees other options, including some areas in the center of the coastal strip where the army has not yet penetrated. The nearby town of Khan Yunis could also be an option once Israel ends its military operation against Hamas there, it was said.
What will be important on Monday
A delegation from the CDU/CSU faction led by trade union faction and CDU leader Friedrich Merz visits Israel. Merz is accompanied by the deputy parliamentary group leaders Johann Wadephul and Jens Spahn, as well as by the deputy leader of the German-Israeli parliamentary group, Gitta Connemann (all CDU): Talks are planned with Netanyahu and Israeli President Herzog, among others. (yam/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.
