2023-12-24 10:33:00
The Israeli military announced on Sunday that it was intensifying its operations against Hamas in the besieged southern Gaza Strip, while the United States urged Israel to do more to spare civilians threatened by hunger. .
Today, the IDF hit Jabaliya and the city of Gaza, in the north, as well as Khan Younes, the large city in the south, Hamas announced. The north has so far been the scene of enormous destruction, on this coastal strip where 1.9 million people have been forced to flee their homes, or 85% of the population, according to the UN.
The Israeli army has indicated that it intends to continue striking in the south, in search of those responsible for Hamas, which it considers a terrorist group, like the United States and the European Union.
After Gaza City, “ we pivot to the south and concentrate our main operations on another Hamas stronghold, Khan Younes », Explained an army spokesperson, Jonathan Conricus, on the American channel Fox News.
The fighting in the north will continue, perhaps at a lower intensity “, he added.
For their part, the United States continues to display unfailing support for its historic ally but recently, it is increasingly insisting that Israel move to a less intense phase of its offensive and favor more targeted operations against the Hamas officials. In a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Joe Biden “ stressed the crucial need to protect the civilian population », selon Washington.
The tenant of the White House clarified that he had “ no ceasefire requested » between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement.
New bastion targeted
As a reminder, Israel has sworn to “ annihilate » Hamas since an attack of unprecedented scale and violence carried out on its soil on October 7 by the Islamist movement from the Gaza Strip. That day, Hamas commandos killed around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to the latest official Israeli figures. They also kidnapped around 250 people, 129 of whom remain detained in Gaza, according to Israel.
This Sunday morning, the Israeli army indicated that 152 of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, which followed the October 7 attacks perpetrated by Hamas. Nine soldiers were killed on Saturday in the fighting in the Palestinian enclave, the army said in a statement, one of the heaviest tolls for a day in the small territory since the start of the conflict.
“Grant us peace”
Overall, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is disastrous: most hospitals there are out of service and in the next six weeks, the entire population risks experiencing a high level of food insecurity, which could go up to to famine, according to the United Nations.
The UN Security Council passed a resolution on Friday calling for the delivery of immediate » et « in large scale » humanitarian aid. But the scope of this text, which managed to avoid an American veto by calling for “ create the conditions for a lasting cessation of hostilities » rather than a “ ceasefire ”, remains uncertain. NGOs and UN agencies explain that the intensity of Israeli strikes makes the distribution of food aid almost impossible.
« Rather than (…) increasing aid deliveries, stop supporting Israel and supplying it with weapons, (…) stop the war and grant us peace. »
“My children have lost a lot of weight, hunger wakes them up at night,” said Nour Barbakh, a displaced person from Khan Younes waiting in line to wait for food.
Emmanuel Macron expressed to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem “ his deep concern ” in front of ” the dramatic situation “from the Catholic parish in Gaza where two parishioners were killed” in an unworthy manner » on December 16 by an Israeli soldier, the Elysée said on Sunday.
During a telephone interview on Saturday the day before Christmas with Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzabella, the French president spoke of “ his deep concern about the dramatic situation of the Latin parish of Gaza “, Or “ hundreds of civilians of all faiths (…) have been living under bombs and bullets for more than two months », According to the Elysée press release. Emmanuel Macron expressed “ his condolences for the death of two parishioners, killed in an undignified manner a few days ago ».
“More than 200 terrorists” arrested
Ma « house was hit by a drone missile “, said Abed al-Khawalda, who lost his sister in the bombing. She ” collapsed on the people who were there. »
On Saturday, the Israeli army claimed to have captured “more than 200 terrorists” during the week, and “ more than 700 » since the start of the conflict.
She also assured that a strike carried out on Rafah on Friday, which killed four members of the same family including a little girl according to Hamas, targeted an official of the Palestinian movement responsible for the supply of weapons.
For its part, the Hamas Ministry of Health accused Israeli forces of having this week “ committed several atrocious massacres » in the region of Jabaliya and that of Tal Al-Zaatar”, and to have in particular “ executed dozens of citizens in the streets. »
She also assured that a strike carried out on Rafah on Friday, which killed four members of the same family including a little girl according to Hamas, targeted an official of the Palestinian movement responsible for the supply of weapons.
Uncertainties for five hostages
Furthermore, Egyptian and Qatari mediators are still trying to reach a compromise between the belligerents on a new truce which would allow the entry of more aid into Gaza as well as the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners incarcerated by Israel.
At the end of November, a one-week truce allowed the release of 105 hostages and 240 Palestinian prisoners as well as the entry into Gaza of humanitarian aid convoys. However, both camps remain intransigent. Hamas demands a stop to the fighting before any negotiations on the hostages. Israel is open to the idea of a truce but rules out any ceasefire before ” elimination » of the Islamist movement.
On Saturday, the military wing of Hamas claimed to have “ lost contact » with fighters guarding five Israeli hostages. These probably have were killed in an Israeli strike “, she estimated. No confirmation could be obtained from Israel.
Regional tensions
Beyond Gaza, the risk of a regional conflagration persists. Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been threatening to slow down world trade by attacking maritime traffic in the Red Sea for several weeks, saying they are acting in solidarity with Hamas.
A chemical tanker was hit off the coast of India on Saturday by a “ attack drone fired from Iran “, and two oil tankers and a US destroyer sailing in the Red Sea were also targeted by drones launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen, according to the US military.
The Pentagon explains that Iran, an ally of the Yemeni rebels and Hamas, provides information to the Houthis to plan their attacks, accusations which have been rejected by Tehran.
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