Israeli forces entered the Gaza Strip’s second-largest city, Khan Yunis, on Tuesday in what Israeli forces described as some of the heaviest fighting of the war.
The commander of Israeli forces in southern Gaza, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, said his army would continue its ground and air force offensive deep into southern Gaza, adding that ground forces had been forced into the area a day earlier after weeks of forced marches in northern Gaza. He said he had begun a full-scale advance.
Finkelman said his troops had multiple encounters with militants on Tuesday, and many were killed.
“The fighters are operating in a terrorist base belonging to the terrorist organization Hamas and are engaged in intense fighting,” Finkelman said. “We are in the center of Jabaliya, in the center of Shejaiya, and starting tonight we will also be in the center of Khan Yunis.”
Israel has said it will not stop attacking Gaza until Hamas is crushed, but many of the leaders of the militant group’s political wing operate from Lebanon, Qatar and Turkey. The death toll for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is already close to 16,000, and most of the 2.3 million people have been forced to flee.
Israel does not dispute the death toll, but claims it has killed more than 5,000 Hamas members. Israel blames the civilian casualties on militants operating in residential areas and using Palestinians as “human shields.”
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Developmental status:
∎ The State Department said on Tuesday: impose a travel ban Concerning extremist Jewish settlers involved in increasing attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
∎ The Lebanese Army said: A military center was bombed “by Israel’s enemies,” killing one soldier and injuring three others. This is the first reported death of a Lebanese soldier since the war began. The Israeli military said Lebanese soldiers were not the target of the attack. I rarely apologized..
■ Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be tried for war crimes, accusing Netanyahu of endangering security in the Middle East to extend his political career.
The United States, Qatar and Egypt, which brokered a weeklong ceasefire that ended on Friday, said they were working toward a longer ceasefire, even though Israel sent its negotiators home over the weekend.
∎ The United States Agency for International Development announced Tuesday that the United States has committed $21 million in additional humanitarian assistance to Gaza to help establish field hospitals. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Olivia Dalton said the United States had also arranged a second relief flight to Gaza with 36,000 pounds of food and medical supplies.
“Nowhere is safe”:Israeli ground forces prepare for southern Gaza attack: latest information
UN warns there is no safe zone in Gaza
The United Nations announced Tuesday that limited humanitarian aid is being provided to Gaza. Only the Rafah region in southern Gaza is receiving aid due to intense hostilities.
United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said 100 aid trucks loaded with humanitarian supplies and 69,000 liters of fuel entered Gaza from Egypt on Monday, about the same amount as Sunday. The number of aid trucks entering the enclave is significantly lower than the daily average of 170 trucks and 110,000 liters of fuel during the week-long ceasefire, Dujarric added.
He reiterated that no place in Gaza is safe and “not even where the UN flag is raised is safe.”
The United Nations said the fighting has made it impossible to distribute essential items such as food, water and medicine to most people in southern Gaza.
“Evacuation centers lack capacity, health systems are collapsed, there is no clean drinking water, adequate sanitation and nutritional status is poor,” said Lynn Hastings, UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories. .
Prime Minister Netanyahu says Israel is in control of security in post-war Gaza
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday reiterated his belief that the Israeli military must maintain security control in the Gaza Strip indefinitely after the end of the war. His statement appeared to run contrary to the stated wishes of the United States, which has made it clear that it opposes Israel’s “reoccupation” of the territory.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said Gaza must be demilitarized and that only the Israeli military would be up to the task.
“No international military can be held responsible for this,” he told a news conference. “I’m not ready to close my eyes and accept any other arrangement.”
The Biden administration has argued that Palestinians should rule Gaza after the war, and has proposed a reformed Palestinian Authority as the best option. Less than a month ago, Secretary of State Antony Blinken outlined some of the conditions the United States envisions for the postwar enclave.
“There will be no reoccupation of Gaza after the end of the conflict. There will be no attempt to blockade or siege Gaza. There will be no reduction in the territory of Gaza,” Blinken said at a press conference in Tokyo on Nov. 8. ” he said.
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‘Unimaginable’ sadness and suffering in southern Gaza
Ambulances rushing to an overcrowded hospital were frequently seen speeding in Khan Yunis on Tuesday, as life in the southern half of Gaza changed due to increased Israeli shelling and ground forces invading the area.
Witnesses said a school housing hundreds of displaced people was attacked and scores of Palestinian casualties were taken to nearby Nasser Hospital, where the wounded lay on the floor covered in blood.
“What is happening here is unimaginable,” said Hamza al-Bash, who lives near the school. “They attack indiscriminately.”
Israel is trying to direct civilians to safer areas, but says many are unable to reach the areas, unable to obtain intelligence or find areas under attack.
At least 34 people, including at least six children, were killed in an airstrike that destroyed a house where dozens of displaced people were taking shelter in Deir al-Balah, a town in central Gaza just north of Khan Yunis, the Associated Press reported. did. Video showed men pulling the child’s limp body from under a slab next to the burning car.
Israel accepts ‘constructive feedback’ on civilian casualties
The Biden administration has relied heavily on Israel as it begins military operations in the southern Gaza Strip to minimize civilian deaths and avoid mass loss of life and displacement from attacks in the northern enclave. Ta.
Israeli government spokesman Eilon Levy said Tuesday that the country intends to follow the guidelines as long as they do not interfere with the ultimate goal of eradicating Hamas.
Levy warns of a difficult task ahead for Israeli soldiers tracking Hamas militants in a region swollen with about 1 million refugees from the north, while Israel vows to limit harm to civilians. He said he was open to “constructive feedback” on the issue and was already making efforts to do so. .
“We did not choose the battlefield, Hamas chose the battlefield,” he told reporters.
Levy also said Israel remains undaunted in its mission to crush the militant group that sparked the war with its barbaric attacks on Israeli border areas on October 7.
“We will continue our campaign to destroy Hamas, a campaign in which the United States agrees with us on the strategic goals of this war, and we cannot end this war with Hamas still in place.” Stated.
Europe faces ‘significant risk of terrorist attack’, official says
A weekend assault that left one tourist dead in Paris may be just the beginning of holiday threats in Europe related to the Israel-Hamas war, a senior official said Tuesday.
European Union Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson told reporters in Brussels that the continent faces a “huge risk of terrorist attacks” because of the polarization caused by the war.
A German tourist was stabbed to death by a man and two others were also injured with a hammer late Saturday. Authorities said the suspect had a history of mental illness, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and was angry about the killing of Muslims in Gaza and other areas.
Large-scale demonstrations expressing support for Palestinians or Israel and denouncing anti-Semitism have grown in European cities in recent weeks.
Johansson said he based his conclusion of the threat on the high level of security in some of the EU’s 27 member states and the rise in hate speech and extremist content online, as well as an increase in reports of anti-Semitic incidents. Stated. “When you put all of this together, I do determine that the threat is significant,” she said.
Israel says hostages were drugged before release
Hostages freed by Hamas were given drugs to appear calm and happy; Israeli Health Ministry officials said on Tuesday that he had been handed over to the Red Cross for transport to Israel. Ronit Endeveld, the department’s nutrition director, told the Kennesset County Board of Health that the drug clonazepam was not available to patients despite suffering physical abuse, deprivation and psychological terror during nearly two months of detention in Gaza. He said that it could give the hostages a positive impression. era of israel report.
Endebelt did not say whether the drug administration was discovered through testing, testimony from freed hostages, or both. In recent days, relatives of the freed children have accused Hamas of drugging the young people while in captivity.
More than 240 people, most of them Israelis, were captured and an estimated 1,200 killed when Hamas militants crossed the border in clashes on October 7 before returning to Gaza with hostages. Over 100 have been released. Many of the returnees returned home malnourished, injured, sick, infested with lice or with deep wounds, family members said.
What it’s like to flee war-torn Gaza
“During the night, I heard bombing noises all around me and it was very scary,” said Al Khatib, 55. He calls the situation “extremely dire,” but not just because of the massive destruction. disease risk The death toll is rising, but also because of an uncertain future. Please see here for the detail.
− Zulekha Nathu
One journalist is dying every day in Gaza.
The International Federation of Journalists said at least 60 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed, several injured and others missing since the war in Gaza began two months ago. The federation joins the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate in condemning the killing and calling for an immediate investigation into the death.
“We can say that we have not seen this type of genocide in Syria, Iraq or the former Yugoslavia,” said Anthony Belanger, the federation’s executive director.
The group called on journalists to take precautions, wear professional safety equipment and not to travel without professional safety equipment provided by the media organization.
Contributed by: Associated Press
