Israel’s army continues its battles against Hamas, regardless of mass protests around the world. Jordan’s foreign minister, however, has used drastic words to warn of long-term consequences. The news at a glance.
Despite global protests and calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Israel is continuing its military offensive against the Islamist Hamas. At a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Ramallah, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Hundreds of thousands of people took part in demonstrations in Washington, London, Paris, Berlin, Istanbul, Sydney and Jakarta over the weekend, demanding, among other things, an end to the bloodshed in the Gaza war.
Gaza Strip divided in half
According to military reports, the Gaza Strip has been completely divided in half by Israeli troops. There is now “a North Gaza and a South Gaza,” said spokesman Daniel Hagari on Sunday evening. The units have reached the coast in the southern part of Gaza city and are “holding” the area, Hagari said.
The city of Gaza is now completely encircled. This is a crucial step. However, according to him, civilians should still be able to flee to the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Hagari also confirmed that air strikes were extended to the densely populated coastal strip in the evening.
According to the Palestinian Telecommunications Company, all communications and internet services were previously down there again.
Israel: “We are ready to strike in the north at any time”
According to Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi, Israel’s military is also prepared for a possible major attack in Lebanon. “We are ready to strike in the north at any time,” said Halevi during a visit to troops on the border with Lebanon. “We know that this can happen.”
However, he had great confidence that the defense in the north was strong. “We have the clear goal of restoring a significantly better security situation at the borders, not just in the Gaza Strip.”
Reports: Dead in shelling of a residential building
The Israeli military also reportedly attacked a house in a refugee neighborhood in its ground offensive against Hamas. The bombardment in the Al-Magasi neighborhood in the center of the coastal region killed more than 30 people, said the Hamas-controlled health authority in Gaza. This information cannot currently be independently verified. Israel’s army said it was reviewing the reports.
Almost 10,000 Palestinians dead since the war began
The number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip has risen to 9,770 since the war began on October 7, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority on Sunday. Around 25,000 people were injured. The numbers cannot currently be independently verified. According to the information, this is by far the largest number of Palestinian deaths during a war in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel’s history, carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organizations in the border area on October 7th. On the Israeli side there were more than 1,400 deaths in the following days, including many women, children and young people. In response, Israel wants to completely destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and end its rule in the Gaza Strip.
Ceasefire vs. cease fire: Blinken and Arab colleagues at odds
In front of Palestinian President Abbas, the foreign ministers of the Arab US allies Jordan and Egypt, Ayman al-Safadi and Samih Schukri, told Blinken: “The Arab countries, the Arab world are calling for an immediate ceasefire that ends this war and the killing of innocents and the “We do not accept that it is self-defense,” Al-Safadi was quoted as saying.
He warned Blinken: “We must not allow this war to undermine everything that has been done to bring a just peace to the region. With every rocket fired into Gaza, with every Palestinian child killed (…) “The entire region is sinking into a sea of hatred that will determine future generations.”
Blinken speaks of a humanitarian ceasefire
Blinken advocates for a temporary humanitarian ceasefire but rejects a ceasefire: “A full ceasefire now would only leave Hamas in power, able to regroup and repeat what they did on October 7th .”
From the US perspective, a short ceasefire would enable humanitarian support to be brought to Gaza and improve the conditions for the possible release of hostages held by Hamas, Blinken said.
Minister calls atomic bomb “option”: government rejects it
Meanwhile, the Israeli government leadership clearly distanced itself from statements made by a right-wing extremist minister about the actions in the Gaza Strip. Cultural Heritage Minister Amichai Elijahu, when asked during a radio interview whether a nuclear bomb should be dropped on the Gaza Strip, replied: “That is one of the options.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then said Elijahu’s comments had “no basis in reality” and suspended the minister from cabinet meetings until further notice, according to media reports. Defense Minister Joav Galant also condemned Elijahu’s “baseless and irresponsible statements.”
Departures from the Gaza Strip stopped
After an Israeli attack on an ambulance, departures from the Gaza Strip have been stopped for the time being. Injured Palestinians as well as foreigners and Palestinians with dual citizenship are affected.
Security sources in Gaza said that foreigners could not leave the Gaza Strip until the wounded could be brought to Egypt. First, safe routes would have to be created for ambulances to travel from the Gaza Strip to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
UN calls for more humanitarian aid for Palestinians
The UN World Food Program (WFP) has called for safe and expanded humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip. Humanitarian needs have skyrocketed and critical food stocks have reached dangerous lows, WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain said after a visit to the Rafah border crossing on Sunday. “Today I make an urgent appeal for the millions of people whose lives are being devastated by this crisis.”
The number of United Nations employees killed so far has risen to 79. The UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA said five employees had been killed in the past 48 hours. At least 24 others were injured. Like most residents of the coastal strip, UN employees and their families were also displaced. “They continue to work tirelessly to provide humanitarian assistance.”