The war between Hamas and IsraelDossierThe essential information on the war between Hamas and Israel from this Monday, January 15th.
The war between Israel and Hamas, which enters its 100th day on Sunday, shows no sign of letting up. Review of the news surrounding the war in the Middle East this Monday, January 15th.
Another deadly night in Gaza. At least 60 people were killed in “intense” Israeli bombing in the Palestinian enclave on Sunday night, according to a Hamas government statement. “More than 60 martyrs and dozens wounded in new massacres committed by the occupying forces last night and at dawn,” writes the Hamas government press office. According to the text, the attacks and artillery strikes were directed against the towns of Khan Younes and Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where the Israeli army is currently concentrating its offensive.
The number of victims in Gaza has risen again. Hamas' health ministry reported on Monday that 24,100 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war between the Israeli army and the Palestinian Islamist movement, most of them women, teenagers and children. The report also said 60,834 people were injured and many more remain buried under rubble as of October 7.
New proof of life for Israeli hostages. Hamas' armed wing released a video on Sunday evening showing three living Israeli hostages, two men and a woman, who have been held in the Gaza Strip since October 7. This video gives no indication of when it was filmed. The three hostages ask the Israeli authorities in Hebrew to work for their release. Earlier, Hamas military wing spokesman Abou Obeida said many of the hostages were “probably recently killed” and the others were “in grave danger,” which he dismissed as “full responsibility” to Israel. About 250 people were taken hostage during the Oct. 7 attack and 132 are still in Gaza, of whom at least 25 are believed to have been killed, according to Israeli authorities. About a hundred were released in late November as part of a ceasefire.
Towards a new port for transporting humanitarian aid? Three United Nations agencies called on Israel on Monday to allow access to its port of Ashdod to transport humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, where Palestinians are suffering from severe food insecurity. Access to this port “is absolutely essential for humanitarian organizations,” officials from the World Food Program (WFP), UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) stressed in a joint statement. Currently, only two border crossings allow the delivery of aid, mainly in the south of the Palestinian enclave. Access to the port of Ashdod, located about 40 km north of the Gaza Strip, “would allow much larger quantities of aid to be transported and then transported by truck directly to the northern areas of the Gaza Strip,” which was hit hard by only a few convoys “Reach has been successful,” estimate the three agencies.
An Israeli soccer player is at the center of a controversy in Turkey. Young Israeli player Sagiv Jehezkel, who scored during a Sunday game in the Turkish Süper Lig, announced: “100 days. 07/10,” is written on a bandage around his left wrist. This short message, which refers to the hundred days that have passed since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israeli soil, was interpreted by the Turkish Justice Minister as a sign of support for Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip. Turkey has always supported the Palestinian people in this conflict and condemned ongoing “genocide” in Gaza. The footballer was arrested for “public incitement to hatred” before being released on Monday morning.
Israel's military budget is increasing rapidly. The Netanyahu government must finance its war. According to the Israeli financial newspaper Globes, Israel's Finance Ministry estimates in its draft budget for 2024 that military spending will amount to around 85 billion shekels (or $24 billion). In return, the public deficit could rise significantly, as could certain taxes.
China and Australia call for a new “permanent ceasefire”. Before embarking on a trip to the Middle East, Australia's foreign minister called for a “permanent ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip on Monday. Penny Wong said she would use her visits to Jordan, Israel, the West Bank and the United Arab Emirates to advocate for an exit from the current conflict and lasting peace in the form of a bilateral solution between states. For its part, China, which is concluding its visit to Egypt, made the same speech. “Our position is that we want a permanent ceasefire and we view an international and immediate humanitarian ceasefire as a step towards this goal,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said. China is calling for a larger international peace conference and the setting of a concrete timetable for implementing a two-state solution.