The Israeli army's attacks on the central and southern Gaza Strip came as Israeli officials prepared for a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Israel said on Monday that its forces had carried out new attacks against Hamas militants in the central and southern Gaza Strip, as well as airstrikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The attacks came as Israeli officials prepared for a visit from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said he would address the question of whether Israel would do more to prevent civilian casualties in its operations in Gaza and facilitate aid deliveries. humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians.
Blinken also expressed concern about the spread of the conflict in the region.
“This is a conflict that could easily metastasize and cause even more uncertainty and more suffering,” Blinken said Sunday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep fighting in his speech at a weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.
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“The war must not stop until we achieve all objectives: eliminating Hamas, returning all of our hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel,” he said at the start of a weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday. “I say this to both our enemies and our friends.”
The Israeli campaign has left large parts of the Gaza Strip in ruins. The health ministry in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip said more than 22,800 people were killed in the Israeli offensive. The ministry does not distinguish between militants and civilians but says 70% of those killed were women and children.
Israel began its military campaign to destroy Hamas after its militants advanced into southern Israel on October 7. According to Israel, 1,200 people were killed and around 240 captured in the terrorist attack. 129 are believed to still be held by Hamas or other militants in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli soldiers take up positions near the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel on Sunday, January 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
According to the U.N. Agency for Palestine Refugees, nearly 1.9 million of Gaza's 2.3 million people are seeking refuge at the organization's sites in or near Gaza.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 79 journalists had been killed as of Sunday. According to the organization, the dead included 72 Palestinians, four Israelis and three Lebanese journalists.
“CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work in times of crisis and should not be targeted by parties to the conflict,” Sherif Mansour, CPJ program coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement.
Al Jazeera has condemned the deaths of two journalists, one of whom was independent of the network, who authorities said were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip while they were traveling in their car and reporting on the war nearby reported by Rafah.
Mustafa Thuria was a video announcer for Agence France-Presse.
Hamza Al-Dahdouh was a correspondent for Al Jazeera and the son of the TV station's Gaza bureau chief, Wael Al-Dahdouh. A third freelancer, Hazem Rajab, was injured in the strike.
At the start of the war, Wael Al-Dahdouh lost his wife, two other children and a grandson and almost committed suicide.
Qatar-based network Al Jazeera said in a statement that the recent killings “undoubtedly demonstrate the determination of the Israeli Defense Forces to continue these brutal attacks against journalists and their families, with the aim of preventing them from carrying out their mission and against the law.” to violate.” Principles of freedom of expression.” the press.”
Al Jazeera called on “the International Criminal Court, governments, human rights organizations and the United Nations to hold Israel accountable for its heinous crimes” and called for “an end to the attacks and killings of journalists.”
The Israeli military has not commented on the attack, but in a Dec. 16 statement responding to the death of another Al Jazeera journalist in Gaza, the military said: “The IDF has never intentionally attacked journalists and never will.”
Some material for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Portal.
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