Prime Minister Netanyahu raised questions with statements about the future of the Gaza Strip. An advisor makes it clear what the head of government means. Israeli troops say they have advanced deep into Gaza.
Israel does not want to permanently occupy the Gaza Strip after the end of the war, according to a senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But there must be an Israeli security presence so that the military can go in for operations depending on the threat situation, said Mark Regev on the US broadcaster CNN, clarifying Netanyahu’s statement about Israel’s future role in the Gaza Strip the day before. “We have to distinguish between security presence and political control.”
In view of the threat from the Islamist Hamas ruling in the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu said in an interview with the US broadcaster ABC that Israel wanted to retain security control over the area for an indefinite period after the end of the Gaza war – but he did not speak of re-occupation.
John Kirby, the communications director of the US National Security Council, once again clearly pointed out the US government’s position: “The President (Joe Biden) continues to think that a reoccupation of the Gaza Strip by Israel’s armed forces is not a good thing. It is not good for Israel and not good for the Israeli people.” At the same time, Kirby emphasized that after the end of the Gaza war, the same government could not rule there as before October 6th. “It can’t be Hamas,” he said.
Israeli military: Leading Hamas weapons developer killed
The Israeli military says it killed one of Hamas’s leading weapons developers during the offensive in the Gaza Strip. Muhsin Abu Sina was, among other things, an expert in the development of rockets. The Islamist organization ruling in the Gaza Strip has been firing these at Israeli areas again and again for years. According to the army, more than 9,000 rockets have been fired at Israeli towns since the war began on October 7th. Hamas, which rules in the coastal area, took responsibility for a large part.
Israeli ground troops advance deep into the city of Gaza
A month after the massacre by the Islamist Hamas in Israel, ground troops of the Israeli armed forces have advanced “deep” into the city of Gaza. Military spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Tuesday evening: “We are achieving success, but there is still a long way to go.”
Since the start of the military operation, the Israeli armed forces say they have attacked 14,000 targets in the Gaza Strip. Among other things, more than 100 entrances to tunnels were destroyed and numerous Hamas commanders were killed in the past month, said Hagari. In addition, Israeli units destroyed over 4,000 weapons. Many were hidden in mosques, kindergartens and residential areas. “This is evidence of Hamas’ cynical use of civilians as human shields,” the rear admiral said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously said in a televised address: “Hamas is finding that we can go to places it thought we would never reach.” Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the USA.
On October 7, terrorists from Hamas and other groups killed more than 1,400 people and kidnapped numerous hostages in the Gaza Strip in massacres and attacks in the Israeli border area. The Israeli armed forces then carried out air strikes and moved ground troops into the densely populated coastal strip. The number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip has risen to more than 10,300, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health. The numbers cannot currently be independently verified.
Baerbock: More than 200 Germans left Gaza
Meanwhile, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock confirmed the departure of more than 200 Germans and their family members from the Gaza Strip. “This gives hope in the midst of the terrible situation in Gaza,” the Green politician wrote on Platform X on Wednesday. The federal government will “continue to work until every German who wants to leave the country can do so.”
Baerbock again called for humanitarian ceasefires in the Gaza war to alleviate the plight of civilians. “The images from Gaza leave no one feeling,” she wrote. “That’s why I’m pushing for humanitarian ceasefires so much.” She has “held countless discussions and talked to all partners about how we can finally initiate humanitarian ceasefires in terms of time and geography. It has to become concrete now.” The people of Gaza needed water, bread and medical care. The most seriously injured must finally be treated.
Hundreds remember the victims of the Hamas attack in Jerusalem
Four weeks after the massacre by the Islamist Hamas in Israel, hundreds of people commemorated the victims in Jerusalem. According to media reports, they held a 30-minute vigil to commemorate the people killed and abducted by terrorists on October 7th.
According to the Haaretz newspaper, relatives of the hostages also set up a protest camp near the Israeli parliament. They therefore called for the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. There is massive criticism in Israel of the head of government, who has not yet taken direct responsibility for the political and military failure on October 7th.
ICRC: Aid in Gaza so far is a “drop in the ocean”
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) called for more help for the people of the Gaza Strip. The deliveries that have arrived so far are just “a drop in the ocean,” said Imene Trabelsi, regional spokeswoman for the ICRC in the Near and Middle East, to the German Press Agency.
The humanitarian situation for the population is worsening day by day. The situation is particularly bad for the hundreds of thousands of families who have fled because the emergency shelters are overcrowded. “Many are forced to sleep on the streets in open spaces,” Trabelsi said. They were missing things like blankets and baby food.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
