The Israeli army said it expanded its ground operations in the Gaza Strip over the weekend. As army spokesman Daniel Hagari announced last night, troops were involved in “complex battles in densely populated areas”. In doing so, they would penetrate other Hamas strongholds.
So far, ground forces have destroyed or confiscated around 30,000 explosive devices, including anti-tank missiles and rockets owned by the Islamist group Hamas. The military had previously announced that it had killed a senior Hamas official who was responsible for its own weapons supply.
Soldiers continued to fight in densely populated areas such as the southern city of Chan Yunis, tracking “terrorist infrastructure,” especially in underground tunnels, the army spokesman said. The technical forces were therefore significantly increased. The capabilities of the division fighting there would be further expanded in the coming days. Destroying the tunnels would be time-consuming.
Biden insisted on protecting the civilian population
According to a White House statement, US President Joe Biden discussed “the objectives and phases” of Israel's military action in the Gaza Strip in a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Biden emphasized the “critical need” to protect the civilian population and those supporting the humanitarian aid operation. It is very important to allow civilians to leave combat areas, they said. Biden and Netanyahu also discussed the importance of releasing all remaining hostages, the White House said.
Criticism of the “watered down” UN resolution
After much discussion and several attempts, the UN Security Council on Friday reached a resolution calling for “safe and unhindered humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip and conditions for an end” to the fighting. US veto, according to the New York Times (“NYT”), but the resolution was probably “too weak” to alleviate the suffering of the affected civilian population, according to the newspaper, referring to aid organizations active in the Gaza Strip.
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