Hamas has succeeded in carrying out a momentous attack against the military on Israeli soil. Meanwhile, talks for a ceasefire are stalling. The news at a glance.
While negotiations for a ceasefire are stalling, the Islamist organization Hamas has killed three Israeli soldiers in a rocket attack on a border crossing with the Gaza Strip. Eleven other members of the armed forces suffered injuries in Kerem Shalom in southern Israel, a military spokesman said.
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock strongly condemned the rocket attack. Meanwhile, CIA chief William Burns wants to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this Monday in an effort to reach a ceasefire. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz wrote that the meeting served to increase pressure from the USA, especially on Netanyahu.
Hamas claims responsibility for attack
The military wing of the terrorist organization Hamas claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. The target was Israeli troops, according to a statement from the Kassam Brigades. Ten rockets from the Gaza Strip were fired at the border crossing of the same name.
Kerem Shalom is the main border crossing for the delivery of aid from Israel to the Gaza Strip. The army temporarily closed it to humanitarian transport after the rocket attack. According to its own statements, the military then bombed the place in the Gaza Strip near the Rafah border crossing with Egypt from which the attack had originated.
According to Israeli media reports, 266 soldiers have been killed in military operations in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war. However, the attack stood out because Hamas had managed to carry out a momentous attack against the military on Israeli soil.
Baerbock: Hamas shows its true face
Federal Foreign Minister Baerbock said during her visit to the Pacific island state of Fiji: “The shelling of one of the most important access points for humanitarian aid shows once again that the Hamas terrorists do not care at all about the humanitarian care of the people in Gaza.” The Islamist organization is once again showing its true face. She was never concerned about the people in Gaza.
“The terrorists don’t care about the fate of the people in Gaza.” The opposite applies to Germany. The attack also makes it clear that the more humanitarian aid that comes into Gaza, the more Hamas will be unmasked.
Indirect negotiations without tangible results
Yesterday, another round of indirect ceasefire negotiations between delegates from the Islamist Hamas and Egyptian and Qatari mediators ended in Cairo without any tangible results. CIA Director Burns accompanied the talks. Egypt, Qatar and the US are acting as mediators in efforts to end the Gaza war.
Hamas said via its Telegram channel that its delegation had delivered a response to the mediators’ proposals and discussed them with representatives of Egypt and Qatar. The delegates left Cairo on Sunday evening and planned to consult with the organization’s leaders in Qatar.
A proposal from the mediators is on the table that envisages a multi-stage agreement between Israel and Hamas. This is intended to lead to the release of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons and an end to the Gaza war.
The Gaza war was triggered by the unprecedented massacre with more than 1,200 deaths that terrorists from Hamas and other groups carried out in Israel on October 7th. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive. Israel has come under international criticism because of the high number of civilian casualties and the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip.
Hardened fronts
In its statement on Sunday, Hamas emphasized that it was conducting the negotiations “in a positive spirit and responsibly.” However, the fronts have hardened. The Islamists insist on an agreement in which Israel commits from the outset to ending the war and completely withdrawing its troops from the Gaza Strip. However, Israel rejects such an obligation and would like to reserve further options for military action.
Netanyahu made several statements over the weekend in which he appeared uncompromising. He said that Israel would attack the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip even if a hostage deal was reached. The USA, Israel’s most important ally, rejects an offensive in the town on the border with Egypt as long as Israel cannot plausibly explain how it has previously brought to safety the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people who are crowding there.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made this clear again in a telephone conversation with his Israeli colleague Joav Galant. In addition, he emphasized the US commitment to supporting Israel’s defense.
On the occasion of today’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, Netanyahu continued: “During the terrible Holocaust, there were important leaders who stood aside. The first lesson from the Holocaust is therefore: if we do not defend ourselves, no one else will defend us. And if we… If we have to stand on our own, then we will stand on our own.”
Al Jazeera ban in Israel
Meanwhile, Israel closed the Arabic TV channel Al-Jazeera in the country. Communications Ministry inspectors and police officers searched Al Jazeera’s office at the Ambassador Hotel in East Jerusalem yesterday. The ministry confirmed that television equipment was confiscated. The Israeli cable and satellite network providers also removed the channel from their offerings and access to its Internet pages was blocked.
The government had previously unanimously decided to ban the television company’s activities in Israel, as the government press office announced. “Al-Jazeera correspondents have harmed Israel’s security and incited Israeli soldiers,” Netanyahu said, according to the statement. It is time to “throw Hamas’ mouthpiece out of the country.”
Israel accuses broadcaster of bias
Since the beginning of the war, Al-Jazeera has reported extensively on the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip, showing images of death and destruction that are rarely seen on Israeli TV channels. The channel also regularly shows videos from Hamas’ military wing of attacks on Israeli soldiers.
The broadcaster rejected the allegations of bias. We will take all possible measures against the move. Al-Jazeera was founded in Doha in 1996 and was considered one of the first Arabic TV channels to also publish critical reports about the region.
The United Nations stressed the importance of press freedom in light of the closure. “We stand firmly against any decision to roll back press freedom,” said a UN spokesman in New York. “The free press provides an invaluable service in ensuring that the public is informed and engaged.”
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.
