The war between Israel and Hamas, which entered its 23rd day on Sunday, was sparked by the Palestinian Islamist movement’s unprecedented attack on Israeli soil from the Gaza Strip on October 7.
In retaliation, the Israeli army has since been relentlessly bombarding the Gaza Strip, controlled by Hamas since 2007, besieging this narrow Palestinian territory where some 2.4 million Palestinians are crowded.
Here are the latest developments:
A “long and difficult” war against Hamas
The war will be “long and difficult,” warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Defeating Hamas is an “existential challenge” for Israel, but “it affects all of Western civilization,” he said.
On Friday evening, the Israeli army increased its bombing and entered Palestinian territory, where it was still operating on Saturday evening. From now on, “the second phase of the war” is underway, with the aim of “destroying the military capabilities and leadership of Hamas; Bring the hostages home,” Mr. Netanyahu said.
Hamas wants to exchange hostages for prisoners
Gaza’s Hamas leader Yahya Sinouar, speaking on Saturday evening for the first time since October 7, said he was ready to “immediately” complete a hostage exchange held by the Islamist movement for “all Palestinian prisoners” detained by Israel .
Israeli authorities have identified 230 prisoners in the Gaza Strip, according to a new count. So far only four women have been released.
The families of the hostages, the majority of whom are Israelis, expressed concern about the fate of their relatives due to the heavy bombing of Gaza.
On Saturday they were able to meet Benjamin Netanyahu, who promised to examine “all options” for the release of their relatives.
Gaza City is “a battlefield”
The Israeli army warned that it now viewed Gaza City and its region as a “battlefield” and ordered residents to “immediately depart” towards the south.
According to Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal, “hundreds of buildings and houses were completely destroyed” during the nighttime raids.
Telephone and internet communications, which had been disrupted in Palestinian territory since Friday, were restored overnight from Saturday to Sunday, according to network monitoring organization Netblocks and an AFP official.
New assessment on the Palestinian side
According to a recent report on Saturday evening, more than 8,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war with Israel, half of them children, the Hamas Health Ministry said. Until Sunday. The latest report sent early Saturday morning showed 7,703 deaths.
According to local authorities, 1,400 people have been killed in Israel since the October 7 attack, mostly civilians and most of them on the day of the Hamas attack.
Statements of support
Thousands of people demonstrated in London, Paris, Zurich and New York in support of the Palestinians.
“Gaza, Gaza, Paris is with you!” shouted demonstrators in the French capital, where the gathering had been banned, an AFP journalist noted.
Saudi Arabia denounced an “unjustified” violation of international law and Oman accused Israel of “war crimes.”
Israel recalls its diplomats from Turkey
In response to “serious statements” from Ankara, Israel has recalled its diplomats from Turkey to “reassess” relations between the two countries.
“Israel, we declare you a war criminal in front of the whole world,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had previously accused.
Rocket fire
Doctors said rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel on Saturday, injuring three people. In the evening, the Israeli command warned residents of the cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon in southern Israel of rocket and rocket attacks, but emergency services reported no injuries.