Specifically, Israel calls for the release of 17 women and children who were abducted to the Gaza Strip following the terrorist attack on Israel on October 7. Hamas has not fulfilled its promise to release these hostages, said Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant. According to Israeli information, a total of 136 hostages are still being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In turn, senior Hamas leader Saleh al-Aruri made demands of Israel. The hostages would only be released when there was a ceasefire and all Palestinian prisoners were released. “The war must take its course. This decision is final. We will not make concessions,” Aruri told Al-Jazeera.
Israel increases attacks on Gaza
The war between Islamic Hamas and Israel continues after the end of the ceasefire. Israel is increasingly increasing its attacks, especially in the south, where people have sought refuge. The chances of a quick and renewed ceasefire are slim.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that he would continue the war “until we have achieved all our objectives”. This includes the release of all Israeli hostages and the elimination of Hamas, he said on Saturday. The continuation of the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip is “indispensable”.
Combat operations resumed
The Israeli military continued its attacks on targets in the Gaza Strip on Saturday after a seven-day ceasefire expired. The Army said 400 targets had been bombed since Friday morning. According to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, 240 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since fighting resumed. Hamas, in turn, said it had fired rockets at Tel Aviv.
There were serious attacks by Israeli armed forces in the south of the coastal strip, where, in addition to the local population, there are also thousands of refugees coming from the north. According to Israeli military information, the Air Force, ground troops and Navy were involved in the operations. Among other things, fighter jets bombed more than 50 targets in the area around the southern city of Chan Yunis.
Portal/Alexander Ermochenko Clouds of smoke rose over the Gaza Strip on Saturday
The Israeli army appealed by text message to residents of the northern neighborhoods of Khan Yunis and villages along the border with Israel in the central Gaza Strip to leave the areas immediately. Before the ceasefire, Israel called on northern Palestinians to flee to the southern Gaza Strip to avoid war.
APA/AFP/Mahmud Ham’s civilians are leaving war zones
The Israeli army confirmed an attack in the city of Jabalya, where the refugee district of the same name is located. According to Hamas-controlled health authorities in Gaza, there have been many deaths. Among them is the president of the Islamic University of Gaza, Sufian Tajeh (52), university circles said on Saturday.
“They don’t know where to go”
Humanitarian organizations reacted to the new offensive in the southern Gaza Strip with horror and outrage. “Hundreds and hundreds of explosions. In a place so densely populated by civilians, everything has to affect something… someone,” wrote UNICEF spokesperson James Elder on X (Twitter).
debate
How does October 7th change the Middle East?
UNICEF spokesman Elder described Saturday night as “unforgiving”. Hiba Tibi, director of the humanitarian organization Care, told CNN of the civilians’ plight: “They don’t know where to go.” There are not enough places to accommodate people.
According to the UN, around 1.7 million people have been displaced in the Gaza Strip since the war began eight weeks ago. According to the UN, the humanitarian situation in the coastal zone is catastrophic. According to the Red Crescent, 100 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing on Saturday, after aid deliveries were halted due to renewed fighting.
“Israel will need security coverage”
Meanwhile, Israel on Saturday confirmed plans to establish a buffer zone in the Gaza border area after the war. “Israel will need a security envelope,” said Israeli government security adviser Mark Regev. “There will no longer be a situation where the Hamas people are at the border, where they can cross over and kill our civilians.”
He did not give further details about the planned security zone. Regev said Israel has no interest in reoccupying or permanently governing the Gaza Strip. At the same time, he said that Israel must maintain control over the security of the coastal strip after the war.
Wildner on attacks in southern Gaza
Israel has driven people to the south of the Gaza Strip and is now bombing the region. ORF correspondent Nikolaus Wildner reports, among other things, how the Israeli army argues its actions.
He reiterated the objective of ending Hamas’s rule in the Gaza Strip after 16 years and destroying the terrorist organization’s military capabilities, but acknowledged that Hamas is far from defeated. “They still fire rockets at Israel and control large parts of the Gaza Strip.” Israel still has “a lot of work to do.”
The last war in Gaza was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel’s history, committed by terrorists from the Gaza Strip in Israel, close to the border, on October 7th. More than 1,200 people were killed and around 240 hostages were taken to Gaza.
US does not want to allow forced relocations
According to its Vice President Kamala Harris, the US does not want to allow forced relocations of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank. She said this to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the sidelines of the world climate summit, as announced by the US presidential office.
She also spoke with the Egyptian president about paths to reconstruction, security and governance in the Gaza Strip. This requires clear political perspectives for the Palestinians and for their own state.
French President Emmanuel Macron questioned Israel’s goal of completely destroying Hamas. “Does anyone think this is possible? “If that is the case, the war will last ten years,” Macron said. Israel must specify its war objective, he demanded. Macron criticized the continuation of bombings in the Gaza Strip: “The right fight against terrorism is not systematic and permanent bombing.” He called for an immediate ceasefire.