Israeli soldiers fight against Hamas. Civilians should seek safety in the south. Air strikes by the USA are increasing concerns about the conflict expanding. The overview.
In view of the fierce fighting with the Islamist Hamas in the north of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli armed forces want to further enable civilians to escape to the south of the sealed-off coastal strip.
“We will continue to maintain this humanitarian corridor to the south,” military spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Wednesday. This also applies to today. According to this, an estimated 50,000 people used the evacuation corridor yesterday.
Meanwhile, fears grew that the Gaza war would spread to the entire region. In response to recent attacks by pro-Iranian militias, the US military carried out another airstrike in eastern Syria. The target was a weapons depot that was used by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and their allies, said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. At the end of October, the USA had already carried out air strikes against two similar targets in eastern Syria. This heightened fears that the Gaza war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas could escalate into a larger conflict.
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 10,500, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health. The numbers cannot currently be independently verified.
Netanyahu: No ceasefire without the release of hostages
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again made a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip dependent on the release of the hostages. “I want to put aside all kinds of false rumors that we hear from all possible directions and make one thing clear: there will be no ceasefire without the release of our hostages,” Netanyahu said.
However, it was unclear whether he meant releasing all the hostages at once. There had previously been unconfirmed media reports of negotiations for a humanitarian ceasefire in return for the release of up to 15 hostages in the Gaza Strip. A high-ranking member of the Islamist Hamas told the German Press Agency that “serious negotiations” were underway.
UN: Convoy with medicines reaches clinic in Gaza Strip
A convoy carrying medical supplies arrived at Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip, according to the United Nations. This is only the second delivery of life-saving supplies to the clinic since the start of the Gaza war, said the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Palestinian Relief Agency (UNRWA).
Although the delivery is welcome, it is far from enough to cover the enormous needs in the Gaza Strip. “Medical conditions in the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip and one of the oldest Palestinian health facilities are catastrophic,” the statement said.
The number of UN employees killed in the Gaza Strip increases
The number of United Nations employees killed in the Gaza war rose to 92. The UN has never recorded so many deaths in one month in any conflict in the world, said the Commissioner General of the UN Palestinian Relief Agency (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, in an interview Swiss media company Tamedia, as reported by the national news agency Keystone-SDA. He warned of the collapse of public order. More than 700,000 people have now fled to the aid organization’s facilities.
US government on the future of Gaza
The US government called for diplomatic talks on the future of the Gaza Strip. “I think what we have is a lot of questions but not a lot of answers,” National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby said on CNN.
“We know what we don’t want to see after the conflict in Gaza. We don’t want Hamas to take control. We don’t want to see Israel take it back.” But we still have to find out what would be a good solution for the coastal strip. The USA could not solve the problem alone. “We will have to hold diplomatic talks with the people of the region to find a solution.”
Rouhani: Not far from war
Iran’s former President Hassan Rouhani sees his country on the brink of war. “It is possible that a mistake, a wrong decision or an inaccurate action will draw the flame of war in our direction,” the newspaper “Etemad” quoted the 74-year-old politician as saying on Thursday. “We are not in a state of war, but we are not far from war,” he warned.
Ruhani, who belongs to the camp of reform politicians, was president from 2013 to 2021. During his term in office, there was a threat of military escalation in the Gulf almost four years ago after the US killed Iranian General Ghassem Soleimani in Iraq in a targeted drone strike in early 2020 under then-President Donald Trump. Rouhani retired from politics after his presidency.
In UN buildings in the Gaza Strip there is only one toilet for 160 people
The number of displaced people in the Gaza Strip is overwhelming the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). A total of 725,000 people have sought refuge in their buildings, including 557,000 in the south of the region, as the UN emergency relief office OCHA in Geneva reported. In the south, an average of 160 people would have to share a toilet. In addition, there is only one shower facility for 700 people. Thousands of cases of respiratory illnesses, diarrhea and chickenpox have been reported.
In the north, 160,000 people were still staying in UNRWA buildings. However, the United Nations could not provide for them and knew little about the conditions in which they live there. According to OCHA, 1.5 million of the approximately 2.3 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip have been displaced.
Israel: Entire division of reservists deployed in the Gaza Strip
According to the military, an entire division of reservists is taking part in the Israeli armed forces’ ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. A division usually consists of at least 10,000 soldiers.
The military said it was the first time since the 1982 Lebanon War that an entire division of reservists was deployed in enemy territory. The 252nd Division, which has been operating in the north of the Gaza Strip since Saturday, includes four infantry brigades and one tank brigade. In addition to the division, other troops are involved.
What is important today
France is organizing an international aid conference to mobilize humanitarian support for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip. According to the Elysée Palace, the meeting with representatives of states and aid organizations on Thursday will be about advocating for compliance with international law in the coastal strip and increased humanitarian access. Help in the areas of water, health, energy and nutrition should be able to reach people.
New financial commitments to support the people of Gaza are expected at the conference. The meeting, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, is expected to include EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU Council President Charles Michel, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulidis.
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.
