As dozens of militants and two Israeli soldiers died in “fierce face-to-face clashes” during the fifth day of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip, the Islamist group Hamas accused Israel of provoking “a massacre” in the wake of the death of dozens of people in a bombing in the Jabalia refugee camp, in the north of the Palestinian enclave. “Many are still under the rubble,” said the director of the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza, Dr. Atef al-Kahlout, after giving a toll of at least 50 dead, while a Hamas spokesman denounced the impact of “six American-made bombs.” ” in an attack also condemned by Egypt and Jordan.
The Israeli army admitted this attack, but assured that the target reached was “the terrorist infrastructure belonging to the Central Jabalia Battalion of Hamas, killing its commander Ibrahim Biari, responsible for sending terrorists in the bloody attacks of October 7, and of al least 50 terrorists”. “The action caused the collapse of Hamas’ underground military infrastructure under the buildings. Hamas continues to use civilians as human shields,” accused military spokesman Daniel Hagari, who again called on the inhabitants of northern Gaza to move to the south “for their own safety.”
For the first time in the war that began with the jihadist attack on its southern towns, Israel resorted this Tuesday to its most sophisticated defensive shield (JETZ) to intercept an Iranian ballistic missile fired by the Yemeni Houthis against Eilat. “We have launched missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles into the occupied territory. This is the third operation in support of our brothers and we will continue until the end of the Israeli aggression in Gaza,” announced a spokesman for the pro-Iran militia almost 2,000 kilometers away. in a message in Arabic that ended with a word in Hebrew: “To hell.”
From Yemen (the Houthis) to Lebanon (Hizbullah) via Iran, the region follows in detail every step of the Israeli ground offensive. Tanks, armored cars and bulldozers advance slowly under the massive fire shield of the Air Force. Soldiers on the ground and pilots in the air attacked tunnels, explosives depots and anti-tank missile positions that swell Hamas’ defensive lines.
The secrecy regarding the location of the forces is shared by both parties. While the army shrouds the incursion that began on Friday in nebulous secrecy, limiting itself to admitting the “high price” it can entail for its soldiers and reporting the objectives, Hamas has asked the Palestinians not to release images of its troops and soldiers to Maintain the surprise factor.
“We go out to attack Hamas and the terrorist gangs in the Gaza Strip. We have one goal: victory. No matter how long and hard the fight is, there is no other result than victory,” announced the head of the Southern Command, Yaron Finkelman, in front. “We will fight in alleys, tunnels and wherever necessary. We will eliminate the abominable enemy. The residents of Be’eri, Sderot, Nir Oz, Kfar Aza, the communities of the Negev and the entire people of Israel are watching us,” he added, referring to the inhabitants who survived and have relatives murdered or kidnapped on October 7.
“Gaza will be a cemetery and a quagmire for the enemy, its soldiers and its political and military leaders,” warned the spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas, Abu Obeida. His group praised his troops, noting that they fired anti-tank missiles at armored vehicles, exploding one of them in Zeitun. Hamas fears that the Israeli army will manage to divide the Strip in two (north and south) and assume control of its fiefdom, Gaza City. Despite massive military pressure, the Ezzedin al Qassam Brigades continued to launch significant rounds of projectiles into large areas of Israel. In 25 days, Hamas has fired more than 8,000 projectiles, half the arsenal it is believed to have before launching the largest attack in its history, which on the other hand could have a boomerang effect for its armed wing and its regime.
“We have had to change the chip that we had since Hamas took control in 2007. It is no longer about another escalation or deterrence, but about putting an end to it,” said National Security Advisor Tsaji Hanegbi, who, when asked about a truce, responds: “We cannot stop with a monstrous terrorist group at our side and allow psychopaths to attack our communities again and cut our throats.”
The Islamist group replies that Israel “carries out daily massacres against the Palestinian people.” Never before had the Air Force dropped so many bombs as in this offensive in which, according to the Ministry of Health of the Hamas Government, more than 8,300 Palestinians have died.
The World Health Organization warned this Tuesday of an imminent “public health catastrophe”, citing the large displacement of Gazans that causes overcrowding in shelters or the damage caused by bombing to health and sanitation infrastructure. UNICEF has reported some cases of dehydration among Palestinian children and estimates that nearly a thousand minors could be missing.
This Wednesday, Egypt will open its Rafah border crossing for the first time to receive the wounded from Gaza, as the number of trucks carrying humanitarian aid to the area south of Wadi Gaza increases. Following the latest conversation between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden, a hundred trucks a day are expected to bring food, water and medicine. Israel still does not allow the entry of fuel, claiming that Hamas has it and instead of sharing it with civilians it keeps it for its “war machine”, but the veto could be lifted within the framework of the negotiations for the release of hostages. .
The successful rescue operation of the young soldier Ori Megidish, which gives hope in Israel, is the first since 2003, when a taxi driver Elihau Gurel was kidnapped by a Palestinian commando. The joy of his family contrasts with the anguish of the families of the remaining 239 kidnapped people. The figure varies due to the identification of bodies, the situation of the missing and the fact that many are foreigners.
The armed wing of Hamas announced that it will release a group of foreign hostages “in the coming days.” Mossad chief David Barnea was in Qatar, which plays a key role in the crisis due to his ascendancy towards the jihadist group. In fact, it is the headquarters of the leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniya, who this Tuesday met in Doha with the Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian.