Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has set two goals for the war in the Gaza Strip. The first was to “eliminate Hamas by destroying its military and government capabilities.” The second was to “do everything possible” so that the approximately 240 hostages taken by the Palestinian terrorist group in the October 7 attack could return home.
The first objective is already well underway, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant saying on Tuesday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are already in the second phase of the war and have controlled the entire northern Palestinian enclave of Israel. But with regard to the hostages, the news was not good, with confirmed deaths, only five releases in almost 40 days of war and talks of a deal not yet materialized.
“Wait a minute, we’re coming,” said US President Joe Biden, convinced that this agreement is possible. But he did not reveal any further details. “If and when there is something concrete to report, we will do so,” Netanyahu said on X (formerly Twitter), reiterating that his heart is always with the hostages and families and that he is working tirelessly for their release.
This Tuesday, The Israeli War Cabinet expected an update on the negotiations after the director of the Shin Bet (Israel’s internal secret), Ronen Bar, met with his Egyptian counterpart, Abbas Kamel. On the table will be a deal that provides for the release of dozens of civilians in exchange for Palestinian women and children trapped in Israel, a humanitarian ceasefire and access to fuel and more humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, the Israeli government said. newspaper Haaretz.
Hamas accuses Israel of blocking the deal, something the Israelis deny. This Tuesday, the families and friends of some 240 hostages began a five-day protest march, from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, to demand that the government do more for those in the hands of the Palestinian terrorist group – ranging from nine-month-old babies to seniors over 80 years old. Israel confirmed the death of one of the hostages, 19-year-old soldier Noa Marciano, while Hamas claimed she was killed in one of the Israeli bombings.
Following the Palestinian terrorist group’s surprise attack, which Israel claims caused the deaths of 1,200 people – officially the bodies of 859 civilians have been identified and 318 soldiers are said to have been killed – Israeli authorities responded with bombings and a land invasion of the Gaza Strip. According to figures from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza, more than 11,000 Palestinians have already been killed, including 4,600 children.
Guterres the target of criticism
The head of Israeli diplomacy, Eli Cohen, echoed that António Guterres “doesn’t deserve to head the United Nations”. Israel has intensified its attacks on the UN Secretary General, accusing it of not doing enough to condemn Hamas and of being close to Iran – “a country that advocates the destruction of Israel, which should not be a member are of the United Nations. but you can see how Guterres sits with them”. The Portuguese again called for a ceasefire.
“I think Guterres, like all free countries, must say clearly and loudly: free Gaza from Hamas. Everyone said Hamas is worse than Islamic State. Why can’t he say that?” Cohen asked at a news conference at the UN building in Geneva, where he met representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Red Cross.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said this Guterres called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire “for the good of humanity.” The Secretary General, he added, is deeply concerned about “the dramatic loss of life” in hospitals in Gaza. According to the WHO, of the 36 medical facilities in the Palestinian enclave, only 14 are still operational. Hamas, which controls the area, says only 10 are active. In the northern part of the Gaza Strip there is only one: Al Ahli, where there will still be about 500 patients.
The WHO had previously said that the city’s largest hospital, Al Shifa (in the center of the enclave, is “almost a cemetery”)., with reports that people trapped inside are preparing to bury the bodies in mass graves. Israel claims that Hamas has one of its command posts underneath the hospital, while the US says its information points in the same direction.
Source: DN
