The UN Palestinian Relief Agency (UNRWA) renewed its call for a humanitarian ceasefire. “Mass deaths, destruction, displacement, hunger, loss and sadness have tarnished the humanity we all share over the past 100 days,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini wrote in a statement. The vast majority of people, including children, are deeply traumatized. 1.4 million internally displaced people would live in desperately overcrowded emergency accommodation with inadequate sanitation facilities. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 23,000 people have been killed in the coastal zone so far.
The head of operations for Doctors Without Borders in Gaza, Leo Cans, also urgently called for a ceasefire, better care and security guarantees. The “indiscriminate bombings” must stop. In an audio message on Saturday night, he described conditions at the European Hospital in Gaza as catastrophic. The hospital is not only full of patients but also other people seeking protection. “At the moment we can no longer deal with the situation,” Cans said. He described the case of a nine-year-old girl whose mother was killed in an air raid and who had to have both legs amputated without anesthesia.
This Sunday marks 100 days of war in the Mediterranean coastal zone isolated by Israel. The trigger was the devastating terrorist attack on Israel carried out by Islamic Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7th. More than 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others were kidnapped in the Gaza Strip. Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive.
“We will continue the war to the end – to complete victory, until we have achieved all our objectives: eliminating Hamas, returning all our hostages and ensuring that Gaza will never again pose a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu said on Saturday night. “No one will stop us,” said the under-pressure head of government on Saturday night. However, according to the newspaper Haaretz (Saturday), Israel is still a long way from achieving its war objectives.
One of the reasons given by the Israeli newspaper was that Israel was surprised by the extent of Hamas' tunnels under the Gaza Strip. The underground passages are more sophisticated than expected. Hamas' leadership is relatively well protected against attack. She probably surrounds herself with the kidnapped hostages. It has been said that it would be difficult to defeat Hamas for these reasons.
The Israeli army wants to further increase military pressure on Hamas. “Pressure that will lead to the destruction of Hamas and the return of the hostages,” said Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi on Saturday. During a ceasefire in November, 105 hostages were released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners. It was only through military pressure that many hostages were freed, Halevi said. “To destroy Hamas, patience is necessary and essential,” said the chief of staff.
Thousands of people called for Netanyahu's resignation in demonstrations in the Israeli metropolis of Tel Aviv and other cities across the country on Saturday night. Speakers at the rally in Tel Aviv accused their government of not doing enough to bring home hostages still held in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu is also accused of neglecting security forces' preparations for an attack like the one on October 7.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations took place again on Saturday in numerous European cities and the USA. Thousands of people protested in Washington, London, Rome and Basel against Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, there was renewed mutual shelling on the border between Israel and Lebanon on Sunday night. A terrorist cell entered Israeli territory from Lebanon and fired at soldiers on patrol, the army said. The soldiers returned fire, killing four terrorists. Since the start of the war in Gaza, there have been repeated border clashes between the Israeli army and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia. It is allied with Hamas but is considered significantly more powerful.
Following the arrest of three alleged Hamas members in Germany in mid-December, the Israeli government claims to have discovered that the Palestinian extremist organization was planning terrorist attacks in Europe. One of the possible targets would have been the Israeli embassy in Stockholm. “As a result of sustained intelligence efforts, a significant amount of information has emerged proving that the terrorist organization Hamas intended to expand its violent activities abroad to attack innocent people around the world,” Netanyahu's office said Saturday night.
As fighting in the Gaza Strip continues into its 100th day, many aid organizations lament the continued catastrophic humanitarian situation in the coastal zone. They call for a ceasefire and more aid deliveries, which must also reach the coastal area without hindrance.
On the occasion of the 100th day of war, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock reiterated her hope for the release of all hostages held by Hamas. “We will not give up, we will not give up our work until all Hamas hostages return home,” Baerbock wrote on Platform X on Sunday. “Children, parents, brothers, sisters, friends have been missing for 100 days. #Israel. 100 days filled with uncertainty, despair, sadness – and hope.”