Israel is reportedly testing flooding of Hamas tunnels. The military suspects the Hamas leadership, but also the hostages, to be here. The UN General Assembly calls for a ceasefire. The overview.
While the UN General Assembly is calling for an immediate ceasefire due to the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli armed forces are testing the flooding of the Islamist Hamas tunnels, according to US media reports.
Seawater is being pumped into some tunnels to find out whether the method is suitable for destroying the underground system on a large scale, reported the US television channel CNN and the newspaper “The Wall Street Journal”.
A resolution for a humanitarian ceasefire introduced by Egypt achieved the necessary two-thirds majority at the United Nations General Assembly in New York yesterday. 153 countries voted in favor, 10 against. 23 countries abstained, including Germany. UN General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but are considered symbolic.
Hamas tunnels are said to be 500 kilometers long
Israel’s Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi recently described the idea of flooding the extensive Hamas tunnel system with seawater as a good idea. According to the Israeli military, Hamas has built an extensive tunnel system under the Gaza Strip. It is estimated to be around 500 kilometers long. However, the Israeli army assumes that many of the 135 hostages kidnapped from Israel are also being held in the tunnels.
At a press conference on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden was asked about the floods. He replied: “It is very difficult as far as the flooding of the tunnels is concerned: it is said that there are definitely no hostages in these tunnels. But I don’t know that for sure.” Then he added: “What I know for sure: every death of civilians is an absolute tragedy.
The Gaza war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel’s history, carried out by terrorists from the Islamist Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7th in Israel near the border with Gaza. As a result, more than 1,200 people were killed on the Israeli side, including at least 850 civilians.
Abstention: Germany “faces a difficult decision”
The UN resolution presented Germany with “a difficult decision,” as the Foreign Office announced on the short message service X, formerly Twitter. “We want to end the unbearable suffering of people – in Israel and in Gaza.”
The resolution calls for a “blanket ceasefire, but does not say why Israel is forced to defend itself: Because Hamas barbarically attacked Israel on October 7th. And because Hamas wants to continue to destroy Israel.” That’s why Germany couldn’t agree – but because they wanted to work to end the suffering of the Palestinians, they couldn’t vote against it either.
Israel attacks targets in Lebanon and Syria
The Israeli Air Force said it attacked positions belonging to the Shiite militia Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon. A fighter jet bombed a launch base and military infrastructure after rockets and mortar shells were fired from there at Israel, the military said overnight. In response to shelling from Syria, Israeli aircraft and tanks also fired on Syrian armed forces positions.
Biden wants change in the Israeli government
US President Joe Biden also called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to change the Israeli government in order to find a long-term solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The “most conservative government in Israel’s history” does not want a two-state solution. Israel is beginning to lose support around the world. Biden had previously promised Israel further support in the fight against Hamas. His “commitment to the security of the Jewish people” is unwavering.
Trudeau for permanent ceasefire
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza war. He told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call, Trudeau’s office said. Trudeau expressed his support for urgent international efforts for a permanent ceasefire. In addition, he underlined Israel’s right to defend itself in accordance with international law.
UN: People are begging for safety
After a visit to the sealed-off coastal strip, the Commissioner General of the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, posted on X (formerly Twitter): “People are everywhere, they live on the streets, they need everything.” They pleaded for safety. “Our colleagues are asked to do the impossible in an impossible situation.”. According to the United Nations, half of the population in the Gaza Strip is now starving.
WHO: Hospital is a “humanitarian disaster zone”
According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), Al-Ahli Hospital in the city of Gaza resembles a humanitarian disaster zone. The hospital can only fill 40 of its 80 beds but has more than 200 patients, reported Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO representative for the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. Doctors treated seriously injured people, some on the ground and on the sidewalk.
Ministry: Death toll rises to 18,400
The number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip has risen to 18,412 since the start of the war, according to Gaza’s health authority. The ministry said more than 50,000 other people were injured. The figures cannot currently be verified, but the UN and other observers point out that the authority’s figures have proven to be overall credible in the past.
What is important today
CSU boss Markus Söder is traveling to Israel for a short visit. On site he wants to meet, among others, with President Izchak Herzog for political discussions.