Israel struck targets in Gaza again this Sunday, at a time of growing international concern over the high number of civilian deaths, especially in the three days of fighting following the end of the ceasefire with Hamas. At least 160 Palestinians were killed in two incidents in northern Gaza on Saturday, according to the UN humanitarian agency. Also according to OCHA, approximately 1.8 million people in Gaza, equivalent to 75% of the population, had been displaced, many of them to overcrowded and unsanitary shelters.
According to HaaretzYesterday, the Israeli army continued airstrikes on Gaza after expanding ground maneuvers south of the area, while simultaneously dealing with rocket launches from Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. The Israeli military reported 17 rocket salvos from Gaza towards Israel on Sunday, adding that most were intercepted and there was only minor material damage.
The armed forces also announced yesterday that they had carried out about 10,000 airstrikes since the start of the war, located more than 800 access shafts to Hamas tunnels and “destroyed” about 500 of them, adding that many of them were located close to Hamas tunnels were located. to or within civilian buildings such as schools and mosques.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad in turn announced “rocket fire” against several Israeli towns and villages, including Tel Aviv, and Israel said yesterday that two of its soldiers had been killed in the battle, the first since the end of the ceasefire. drone strike “eliminated” five Hamas militants. The Iran-backed Hezbollah said it had launched several attacks on Israeli positions, including a rocket attack on a military vehicle.
According to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza, 316 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire ended and more than 15,500 people have been killed on Palestinian territory since the fighting began. The UN humanitarian agency (OCHA) announced yesterday that at least 160 Palestinians were killed on Saturday in two incidents in northern Gaza: the bombing of a six-storey building in the Jabalia refugee camp and an entire block in Gaza city . Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy, quoted by AFP, said Hamas is responsible for the deaths, as he also said they “would still be alive” if the group had not carried out the October 7 attacks.
In a new estimate, OCHA also said that around 1.8 million people in Gaza, 75% of the population, had been displaced, many to overcrowded and unsanitary shelters. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, warned that hundreds of thousands of Gazans are “confined to smaller and smaller areas” in the south of the territory. “There is no safe place in Gaza,” he said.
The ICC will investigate crimes
Israel’s ally the United States, which provides Israel with millions of dollars in military aid annually, has also intensified calls for the protection of civilians in Gaza. “Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed,” Vice President Kamala Harris said on the sidelines of COP28 in Dubai, calling on Israel to “do more to protect innocent civilians.” On a less charged note, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby assured that Israel was “making efforts” to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza since the resumption of fighting. “We believe they have been receptive to our messages about minimizing civilian casualties.”
After a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, pledged this Sunday to intensify efforts to investigate possible war crimes in the conflict, but stressed that his visit was not aimed at investigating ” , although he took the opportunity to speak with victims on both sides of the conflict.
Regarding the hostages still held in Gaza, which Israel lists as number 137, the Israeli Prime Minister said yesterday at a Likud meeting that “we will continue to talk to our enemy about pursuing the release of hostages, speaking through fire. ” reported the Haaretz. This weekend, the British Ministry of Defense announced that it will conduct surveillance flights over Israel and Gaza “in support of ongoing hostage rescue activities.”
Huthi attack ships
A US warship and several commercial ships were attacked in the Red Sea, the Pentagon said yesterday, in a sign of an escalation of maritime attacks in the Middle East linked to the war between Israel and Hamas. The British forces had already said there were suspicions of a drone attack and explosions in the Red Sea, without going into details.
Yemen’s Huthi rebels, backed by Iran, said this Sunday that they had attacked two ships off the coast of Yemen, adding that the “Israeli” ships were targeted in the Gaza war. In a statement, the Huthis said they had carried out an “operation against two Israeli ships in the Strait of Bab al-Mandab,” a strategic waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, attacking one of them with a “ rocket and the second ship with a drone”.
Source: DN
