Israel frees two hostages in a massive attack on the city of Rafah. Many people die as a result. Now the court in The Hague is increasing the pressure. The news ticker.
- Two hostages at war in Israel rescued: “It was prepared for a very long time”
- Israeli army freed two hostages: Hamas complains about “massacre” in Rafah
- The information processed here about the war in Israel and the fight against Hamas in the Gaza Strip come from local and international media and news agencies. Much of the information cannot be independently verified.
Update from February 12th, 3:20 p.m.: Britain has urged Israel to “seriously think” ahead of a possible Rafah offensive. “We are very concerned about what is happening in Rafah,” Foreign Secretary David Cameron told the media on Monday. “The people who are there have often already been displaced four, five or six times. They have nowhere to go.”
In Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, more than a million people have fled from other parts of the Palestinian territory in the face of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his army last week to present a “combined plan to evacuate the population and destroy the Hamas battalions” in Rafah.
Update from February 12th, 2:20 p.m.: According to Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy, the Israeli military has so far killed more than 12,000 Hamas militants and wounded or arrested even more. “We are talking about three-quarters of all Hamas battalions that have been shattered,” the British broadcaster quoted Sky News the speaker.
Israel attacks Hezbollah targets in Lebanon again
Update from February 12th, 1:15 p.m.: According to Hezbollah, one of its senior members was hit in an Israeli drone strike in Lebanon. The militia confirmed this German press agency on Monday. The drone targeted a car in the village of Bint Jbail in the south of the country. Mohammed Aliwajih, who is responsible for the Marun al-Ras region near the Lebanese-Israeli border at Hezbollah, was hit in the attack. Aliwajih was critically injured.
Israel’s army said fighter jets attacked a number of Hezbollah targets in the border region. These also hit a vehicle in the Marun al-Ras area. There were “Hezbollah terrorists” in it. The army also hit and destroyed infrastructure and military installations near the border.
Dutch court submits Israel decision: no more F-35 spare parts
Update from February 12th, 12:15 p.m.: According to a new court ruling, the Netherlands is no longer allowed to export spare parts for the F-35 fighter jet to Israel. Shortly before noon on Monday, a court in The Hague upheld a lawsuit brought by human and peace organizations. There is a great risk that Israel will violate the humanitarian law of war with the air strikes on the Gaza Strip. “Israel pays too little attention to the consequences for the civilian population when carrying out its attacks,” it continued. The court ordered the state to stop exporting the spare parts to Israel within the next seven days. The state can still appeal.
The European spare parts warehouse of the US manufacturer of the F-35 fighter jets is located at an air force base in the south of the country. Israel is also supplied from here. According to the AFP news agency, Dutch government officials had previously argued that it was not clear whether the Netherlands could even intervene in the delivery of spare parts. It was also said that Israel could obtain spare parts from other countries even if the Netherlands stopped supplying them.
Israel increases pressure on Hamas: hostages freed in Rafah
Update from February 12th, 11:25 a.m.: After the Israeli army freed two Israeli hostages, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a continuation of the military offensive in the Gaza Strip. “Only sustained military pressure until complete victory will lead to the release of all of our hostages,” Netanyahu said on Monday.
Netanyahu praised the “courageous warriors” for the night-time liberation operation. Israel will “not miss any opportunity” to bring the hostages home.
Hamas spies in the Israeli army? Officer expresses suspicion
Update from February 12th, 9:40 a.m.: A senior Israeli intelligence official told the newspaper Israel Hayom, there are “serious suspicions” that Hamas had already infiltrated the Israeli army before the bloody attack on October 7th. “Hamas had information on key Israeli army facilities and access to very secret documents,” the official said. This is information that Israeli commanders would not even talk about in their closest circles.
According to the official, it would be impossible to obtain such information solely through drone overflights. “This situation doubles the failure of the Shin Bet,” he said. Israeli officials repeatedly expressed shock after the October 7 Hamas massacre at the amount of information Hamas was able to gather in advance of the attack.
Pro-Iranian Houthis attack ship in Red Sea again
Update from February 12th, 7:35 a.m.: According to British authorities, a ship was attacked again south of the Yemeni coast. The attack was carried out with two missiles, the British Maritime Trade Authority (UKMTO) said on Monday. “The crew is safe and the ship continues to the next port of call,” it said.
The Houthi rebels from Yemen have attacked merchant ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in recent months. The Houthi militia sees itself as part of the pro-Iranian “Axis of Resistance” in the Middle East war directed against Israel. Since December, warships from an international coalition led by the US have been trying to secure the route along the Yemeni coast.
War in Israel: Two hostages rescued with military operation in Rafah
First report from February 12th: Rafah – Israel’s military says it has rescued two hostages during massive nighttime attacks in the Rafah area in the south of the Gaza Strip. The two abductees, aged 60 and 70, Fernando Simon Marman and Norberto Louis Har, were rescued during a joint operation by the military, the Shin Bet security service and the Israeli police during the night in Rafah and are in good health, the Israeli military said on early Monday morning.
Two hostages rescued during war in Israel: “It took a long time to prepare”
Army spokesman Daniel Hagari spoke of a “complex operation in the heart of Rafah,” according to the newspaper Times of Israel reported. It was not easy to reach the target building in the city. Israeli soldiers gained access to the building through a locked door and rescued the hostages from the second floor. They were led into an armored vehicle and finally evacuated by helicopter.
“The Israeli army and Shin Bet have been preparing for this operation for a long time,” said Hagari. So far, however, there have not been the right conditions. According to the spokesman, an Israeli soldier was slightly injured during the rescue operation. “Very strong firepower” from the air was used to shoot at Hamas militants who opened fire. “Many terrorists were eliminated tonight,” Hagari explained, saying the operation lasted an hour.
Defense Minister Joav Gallant praised the Israeli army’s “impressive” operation. He followed the operation together with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and high-ranking Israeli commanders. Knesset Chairman Amir Ohana similarly spoke of an “impressive, heroic and complex” rescue operation. This gave hope to the entire nation.
Israeli army frees two hostages: Hamas complains about “massacre” in Rafah
Shortly before, the army had announced a series of attacks in the Shabura area near Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinian internally displaced people are currently seeking protection. According to Palestinian reports, more than 100 people were killed in the night attacks, including children and women. The information provided by both sides could not initially be independently verified. Israel is planning a military offensive on Rafah, which is causing significant international criticism. According to a media report, the planning is still ongoing.
Hamas released a statement about the attacks on Rafah, calling it a “massacre.” The nightly airstrikes are a “continuation of the war of genocide and the effort to forcibly expel Palestinians.” US President Joe Biden and the entire US government would take part, while the Israeli army ignored decisions of the International Court of Justice, it said. (bb/dpa)