Israel’s army has resumed fighting. Meanwhile, it is becoming known that Israel was apparently aware of Hamas’ attack plans. And US Secretary of State Blinken has clear words. The overview.
The ceasefire in the Gaza war did not last. Israel’s army has resumed fighting against the Islamist Hamas. Warplanes are currently attacking Hamas targets in the sealed-off Gaza Strip, the army said after the week-long ceasefire ended.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas of violating ceasefire agreements. “Today it failed to fulfill its obligation to release all female hostages and fired rockets at Israeli citizens,” it said. According to information from the US broadcaster CNN, negotiations in Qatar regarding the release of further hostages are continuing. Negotiations on a possible continuation of the ceasefire are also continuing.
The Arabic television channel Al-Jazeera, citing eyewitnesses, reported heavy fighting in the city of Gaza and other areas in the north of the sealed-off Gaza Strip. In the center of the coastal strip there was also tank fire near the Nuseirat and Bureij refugee camps, it was said. The BBC also reported air strikes in the south of the Gaza Strip, citing Hamas. The British broadcaster reported that its own sources had confirmed this.
After fighting resumed, Hamas said the international community, led by the United States, bore responsibility for “the continuation of the brutal war against civilians, children and women.” The Palestinian people “have the right to defend themselves by all means and they have the right to achieve their freedom and independence, to establish their Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and to end the occupation (Israel) in accordance with international and UN To completely remove rules from his country,” Hamas’ statement continued.
Israel’s army shows new evacuation zones
Israel’s army says it has published new security zones for the civilian population. The military announced that it had published an interactive map in Arabic with evacuation zones on the Internet “in preparation for the next phase of the war.” This divides the area into recognizable areas to enable residents to “orientate themselves, understand instructions and, if necessary, get to safety from specific locations.”
At least 32 people were killed in Gaza in the first three hours of renewed fighting, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza. This information cannot currently be independently verified.
Report: Israel had been aware of Hamas’ attack plans for a long time
According to a report in the New York Times, Israel had evidence of a planned major attack by the Islamist Hamas more than a year before October 7th. Accordingly, there was a comprehensive exchange between Israeli authorities about a 40-page document codenamed “Jericho Wall,” which outlined a Hamas battle plan.
This is said to have been similar in every detail to the attack that Hamas terrorists carried out from the Gaza Strip at the beginning of October. The scenario was dismissed by Israeli military and intelligence officials as too demanding and difficult to execute, the US newspaper reported.
UN Emergency Relief Office: Gaza Strip is “hell on earth” again
The UN emergency agency OCHA is calling for free access for aid convoys despite the new fighting in the Gaza Strip. “Humanitarian aid must continue without preconditions,” wrote OCHA local representative Lynn Hastings on X (formerly Twitter). The Palestinian organization Hamas must also unconditionally release all hostages.
In the past few days of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, thousands of tons of food, water, fuel, medicine and blankets have been distributed for Palestinians, OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke reported in Geneva. But since morning the Gaza Strip has once again been “hell on earth,” said Laerke. The continuation of deliveries is now uncertain.
Blinken warns Israel
The day before, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken clearly called on Israel’s leadership to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip. If Israel resumes the war and advances against the southern Gaza Strip to pursue Hamas, it will be “imperative” that Israel abide by international humanitarian law and the rules of warfare, Blinken said during a new visit to Israel.
The numerous deaths among the civilian population and the displacement on the scale seen in the northern Gaza Strip must not be repeated in the south, he warned after a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Before resuming major military operations, Israel must present humanitarian plans to protect the civilian population that reduce further casualties to a minimum, demanded Blinken. The plans should specify exactly in which areas civilians in the southern and central Gaza Strip would be safe. The destruction of vital infrastructure such as hospitals, power plants and water supply systems must be avoided.
Aid supplies reach northern Gaza
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported that 310 trucks carrying aid supplies had successfully reached the north of the sealed-off coastal strip since the ceasefire began. This made it possible to provide essential goods such as food, baby food and blankets to thousands of people in need, said X (formerly Twitter).
The previous day alone, 56 trucks carrying relief supplies reached the city of Gaza and the northern areas of the coastal region. In total, more than 1,000 trucks with relief supplies have arrived throughout the area since the ceasefire began.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government reiterated its goal of destroying Hamas. “We are prepared for the next phase of the operation,” said Israeli government spokeswoman Tal Heinrich. “The Israeli government is committed to achieving the goals of the war: releasing the hostages, eliminating Hamas and ensuring that the Gaza Strip never again poses a threat to the residents of Israel,” Netanyahu’s office said.
More hostages free
Most recently, Hamas released two Israeli women from the Gaz Strip and then released another six Israelis in the evening. They should be medically examined before they meet their families in hospitals, the military said.
According to information from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, there were four women as well as an 18-year-old and her 17-year-old brother. The two Arab-Israeli siblings were kidnapped from a Bedouin town in the south of the country.
Other Palestinians are also at large
The 30 Palestinians released by Israel in return were welcomed by their families in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, Palestinian media reported that night. Accordingly, there were eight women and 22 male youths under the age of 19. The spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry had previously spoken of seven women and 23 male youths on the X platform.
The Emirate of Qatar, together with Egypt and the USA, brokered the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the exchange of civilian hostages for Palestinian prisoners. The ceasefire originally agreed for four days was extended by three days. The countries mediating in the conflict, Egypt and Qatar, tried to extend the ceasefire again.
Israel suspects that there are still around 145 hostages in Gaza. However, there are said to be only 15 women and children among them. It was therefore questionable how long the current procedure, in which women and children were released in return for an extension of the ceasefire, could continue.
Released Arab hostages reunited with family
Two Arab-Israeli teenagers released by Hamas have been reunited with their families. Israeli media published photos of the reunion on Friday. A 17-year-old can be seen smiling in the arms of an unspecified relative. Her 18-year-old brother is also shown hugging a relative.
According to the information, the photos were taken at the reunion on Thursday evening in the clinic where the siblings, who belong to a Bedouin community, were examined after their release.
The Arab minority in Israel makes up around 20 percent of the almost ten million inhabitants. The Bedouins, in turn, belong to the Arab minority in Israel; their number is estimated at around 250,000 nationwide. Many of them serve in the Israeli army.
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.
