Netanyahu announces "next phase" in the fight against Hamas

2023-10-14 16:18:32

During a visit to troops near the Gaza border on Saturday, he said to the soldiers: “Are you ready for the next phase? The next phase is coming.” In the video, the soldiers could be seen nodding. The Israeli army had previously indicated that it would give more time to the evacuation in the Gaza Strip.

Hundreds of thousands on the run

Israel’s ultimatum to evacuate Gaza City had already expired on Friday. On Saturday, the Israeli army announced that hundreds of thousands had headed south. “We are clear that this will take time,” military spokesman Richard Hecht said on Saturday. Hamas is also trying to stop civilians. The Israeli military had previously assured the residents of the northern Gaza Strip a period and an escape route without attacks on Saturday. Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. local time (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CEST), the residents of Beit Hanun should follow a marked escape route to Khan Yunis, as an army spokesman announced in Arabic on the X platform (formerly Twitter). Movement there is possible “without damage” during the specified hours.

Ground offensive announced

The Israeli army has announced a ground offensive. The army said on Saturday evening in Tel Aviv that it was preparing for an “integrated and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land” on the Islamist group. The preparations are nearing completion. This includes calling up hundreds of thousands of reservists and equipping them.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military killed one of those suspected of being responsible for the massacre of Israeli civilians in attacks on the operations centers of the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Merad Abu Merad, head of the Hamas air surveillance system in Gaza City, was largely responsible for directing the terrorists during the massacre, the Israeli military said Saturday morning. Ali Kadi, who as commander of an elite unit led the attack by armed fighters on towns in southern Israel a week ago, was also killed in an air strike, the army said on Saturday.

Video: Peter Fritz (ORF) explains how and when the Israeli army’s ground offensive could start. The start may be due to another air offensive.

More than 2,200 Palestinians killed

The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip rose to 2,215. In addition, 8,714 people were injured, the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip said on Saturday. According to Hamas, nine hostages, including four foreigners, also died in Israeli air strikes.

Exactly a week ago, terrorists on behalf of Hamas carried out a massacre of Israeli civilians in border towns and at a music festival – the worst since the founding of Israel. More than 1,300 people died. Military spokesman Richard Hecht said on Saturday that there were at least 265 Israeli soldiers among them. The vast majority of people killed in the major attacks are civilians. It is certain that 120 people were abducted to the Gaza Strip, said Hecht.

More shelling on the Israeli-Lebanese border

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it killed suspected terrorists attempting to infiltrate Israel from Lebanon. The Israeli military announced on Saturday morning that soldiers had identified a “terror cell” that was attempting to infiltrate Israeli territory from Lebanon. A military drone killed “some of the terrorists,” it said. Since the terrorist attack by the Palestinian Hamas on Israel last weekend, there have been repeated fighting with the Hezbollah militia on Israel’s border with Lebanon in the north.

There is a lot of criticism of Israel’s call for mass evacuation. The United Nations called on Israel on Friday to revoke the order. There is a threat of a “catastrophic situation”. There was also sharp criticism from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in Cairo on Saturday that his country rejects the expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. After talks in Cairo, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged rapid humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip. “The people of Gaza are lacking everything right now,” she said. Her Austrian colleague Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) clearly supported Israel. “Every civilian casualty in the Gaza Strip can be attributed to Hamas,” said Schallenberg in the Ö1 “Journal guest” on Saturday. After a telephone conversation with Netanyahu on Saturday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that he agreed with Netanyahu to avoid the conflict spreading.

EU aid increased

The EU Commission massively increased humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip. As EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced after a conversation with UN Secretary General António Guterres, aid will be increased by 50 million euros to a total of more than 75 million euros. “Tribling the EU’s humanitarian aid will help provide the civilian population in Gaza with essentials,” said EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Janez Lenarčič. According to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a plane carrying medical supplies has already landed in northeastern Egypt near the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip. “We are ready to distribute the aid as soon as humanitarian access via the crossing is guaranteed,” wrote Tedros on the social media platform X.

Video: While the USA and the EU pledge their support to Israel, solidarity demonstrations for the Palestinians are taking place in numerous western cities.