According to Hamas, there have been 241 deaths in Gaza in the last few hours, while Israel says the war will last “several months,” the time necessary for victory. The UN denounces the humanitarian situation
Andrea De Angelis – Vatican City
It was a bloody Christmas that the Holy Land experienced. According to Palestinian sources, there are hundreds of casualties from Israeli bombing, including 106 on the night of December 24-25. Israeli Chief of Staff Halevi said Israel would “reach out to the leadership of Hamas, whether for a week or months” and “increase pressure in various forms” to “enable the realization of the war's objectives.” , the destruction of Hamas and the return of the hostages.” Halevi also pointed to the escalation of violence in the West Bank, saying: “Israeli forces continue to work day and night to combat and eradicate terrorism in Judea and Samaria, with great success.”
The UN complaint
The World Food Program, the world's largest humanitarian organization, reports that civilians are starving in the Gaza Strip. The UN agency warned of this risk a month ago. The UN special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons also says Israel is “working to expel the civilian population from the Gaza Strip.” “Israel is seeking to permanently change the makeup of Gaza’s population through ever-increasing evacuation orders and widespread and systematic attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure,” Paula Gaviria Betancur said in a statement from the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. Since the start of the war, 85% of Gaza's population has been internally displaced, the UN agency's statement said.
The international actors
France “is deeply concerned by the announcement by the Israeli authorities that the fighting in Gaza will intensify and prolong, at a time when systematic bombings have caused a large number of civilian casualties in recent days,” we read in a statement the French Foreign Ministry. According to a statement from Qatar's official news agency, US President Joe Biden called the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to discuss the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The statement said the two discussed, among other things, “joint mediation efforts to calm the situation and achieve a lasting ceasefire.” No comment from the White House at this time.
The site
For the third night in a row, a large-scale Israeli military operation is reported in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the West Bank. This was reported by Al Jazeera, according to which a drone strike was carried out and six Palestinians were killed. Hospital staff also said, according to the source, that medical staff and ambulances were prevented from reaching the injured. Israeli snipers are said to be stationed on the roofs of several buildings in Nur Shams. The Israeli army today announced the deaths of three more soldiers in fighting yesterday, Tuesday, December 26, in the northern Gaza Strip, bringing the military death toll in the ground operation against Hamas to 164. In a statement cited by local media, the Israel Defense Forces said the latest victims were two soldiers, aged 20 and 21, and a 23-year-old deputy commander.