Middle East: “Struggle area” – first steps for offensive on the city of Gaza

The Israeli army continues to drive the planned intake of the city of Gaza. The military initiated the first steps of its offensive to the city, which was located in the north of the Gaza Strip, which was located, spokesman Avichai Adraee said in Arabic.

The army is “with great intensity” in the city’s external districts. We were talking about “preparatory missions”. At the same time, Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip the remains of two hostages.

Israel plans to take the city of Gaza, which is estimated to be around one million people. According to the will of the Israeli leadership, they should be recovered to the south.

A few days ago, Adraee had already announced that the preparations for the evacuation of the city were going. Prevention for the establishment of humanitarian aid centers and tents were delivered. “The evacuation of the city of Gaza is inevitable,” it said.

Army: City of Gaza is a “dangerous combat area”

The military now also classified the city of Gaza as a “dangerous struggle area”. A tactical break, which should actually enable aid deliveries for the needy Palestinian population between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. local time, no longer applies in the area.

Inhabitants reported to the German Press Agency that the Israeli army had strengthened its attacks on the Gaza Strip since morning. From medical circles it was said that at least 48 Palestinians were killed, including 20 in the north of the area. The information could initially not be checked independently. Residents had already reported intensive air raids from the military in the area of ​​the city of Gaza a week ago.

Warning of aid organizations

Aid organizations warn of an expansion of the fights in the area. They repeatedly criticize the catastrophic conditions in the refugee camps in the center and south of the Gaza Strip, to which the population from Gaza is to be recovered. For the city of Gaza and neighboring towns, the IPC initiative recognized worldwide had declared a famine as an authority for nutritional security. Israel rejected this.

The boss of the World Food Program (WFP) called for a massive expansion of humanitarian aid on Thursday after visiting the competitive coastal strip. “Gaza is at the tear point,” warned WFP director Cindy McCain for X. Half a million people in the coastal area, which is sealed off by Israel and a large area.

Corpse of two hostages

After the army classified the city of Gaza as a “dangerous struggle area”, army spokesman Adraee also announced: “We will strengthen our attacks.” The aim is to destroy Hamas from a military and political perspective and the release of all hostages kidnapped from Israel.

The corpses of two hostages, meanwhile, the Israeli army and brought them back to Israel. One of the kidnapped is Ilan Weiss, an Israeli who was already killed on the day of the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, as the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced. At first there was no information about the identity of the second person.

German-Israelis

Weiss came from the Beeri Kibbutz and tried to ward off the penetrating terrorists during the attack by Hamas and other Islamists. It was only in January 2024 that it was officially confirmed that he was killed. “Ilan demonstrated courage and grandmothers in the fight against the terrorists on this dark day. He gave life with his death,” said Israel’s President Izchak Herzog. The Israeli news page “Ynet”, citing the army, reported that its body had been found in the central section of the Gaza Strip.

A total of 48 hostages are now captured by extremists in the Gaza Strip, 20 of them are said to be alive. Among the hostages are also some who have German citizenship in addition to Israeli.