Middle East
Israel’s army expands ground fighting in Gaza
The Israeli army continues to fight in densely populated areas such as the southern city of Khan Yunis. photo
© Mohammed Talatene/dpa
The war in the Gaza Strip continues to rage over the Christmas holidays. Israel’s army is now concentrating more on the terrorists’ underground tunnels in the fight against Hamas. The overview.
Israel’s army is on the ground in… According to its own statements, the Gaza Strip will be expanded over the Christmas weekend and will focus on the extensive tunnel network of the Islamist Hamas.
The troops were involved in “complex battles in densely populated areas” and were tracking down “terrorist infrastructures”, especially in the underground tunnels, said army spokesman Daniel Hagari. Destruction of the tunnels in the southern city of Khan Yunis and other areas would be time-consuming. The military had previously stated that it was now approaching complete control of the north of the coastal strip.
Biden to Netanyahu: Protect civilians
In order to alleviate the horrific suffering of the civilian population, the UN Security Council passed a resolution on Friday after days of struggle calling for an increase in humanitarian aid. However, the watered-down compromise text does not call for an immediate ceasefire.
The USA, as Israel’s most important ally, abstained from the vote. According to the White House, US President Joe Biden made it clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call that civilians, including humanitarian aid workers, must be protected at all costs.
Israel’s army focuses on Hamas tunnels
According to the United Nations, one in four Palestinians in Gaza is at risk of starvation. In recent discussions with Israel’s leadership, the US government has repeatedly insisted on more targeted military operations that should focus on the leadership of Hamas.
According to Israel, this is hidden in the tunnels under the coastal area. In order to destroy them, technical forces have been significantly increased in the southern city of Khan Yunis, for example, said army spokesman Hagari. The capacities of the division fighting there would be further expanded in the coming days.
Below the Gaza Strip there is a whole network of tunnels stretching for many kilometers in which, according to Israel, a number of Hamas terrorists are hiding and are also holding Israeli hostages there. To withstand Israel’s bombs from the air, some tunnels extend dozens of meters underground. The terrorists also use the underground routes to appear out of nowhere and attack from behind. Many of the tunnels are booby-trapped to kill Israeli soldiers who enter them.
Israel: Numerous explosive devices unearthed
Since the beginning of the war, around 30,000 explosive devices, including anti-tank missiles and rockets owned by the Islamist Hamas, have been destroyed or confiscated, Hagari said. Israel’s military had previously announced that it had killed a senior Hamas official who was responsible for supplying its own weapons.
In the north, Israel says it is in the process of taking control of the area. However, the Wall Street Journal quoted Israeli military analysts as saying such control does not mean the military has eliminated Hamas’s presence. Rather, Israel only limits Hamas’s ability to carry out attacks. Because of the tunnels, Israel cannot consolidate its control over Gaza. Therefore, the army is now concentrating more on the tunnels, it was said.
Israel: More than 700 terrorists arrested
So far, more than 700 members of terrorist organizations have been captured in the coastal strip during the ground operation, the Israeli military said on Saturday. Within a week alone there were more than 200. They were brought to Israel for interrogation. Some would have surrendered. The information could not initially be independently verified.
The war was triggered by the worst attack in Israel’s history, carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7 near the border with the Gaza Strip. As a result, more than 1,200 people were killed on the Israeli side. Israel responded with massive air strikes and began the ground offensive at the end of October. According to the Hamas health authority in Gaza, more than 20,000 people have been killed in the area since then.
Rocket alarm in northern Israel
Meanwhile, sirens blared again in northern Israel this morning, the army announced. Mutual attacks had previously occurred again on the border with Lebanon. The army said Israeli soldiers had attacked a military site and other targets belonging to the Shiite militia Hezbollah in the neighboring country. Several rocket launches and attacks with mortar grenades were registered from Lebanon towards Israel. The Hezbollah militia is closely linked to Israel’s arch-enemy Iran.
According to US intelligence information, he is deeply involved in the planning of attacks by Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea. According to the US Department of Defense, Iran is also responsible for a drone attack on a merchant ship in the Arabian Sea off the coast of India.
The Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker “MV Chem Pluto” was hit by an attack drone from Iran, the Pentagon in Washington said. A fire on board the tanker was extinguished. There were no deaths or injuries in the incident, the statement said.
What is important today
Israel’s army is increasingly expanding its fighting against Hamas. For civilians, the situation is becoming increasingly dramatic due to a lack of aid supplies. Meanwhile, in the Holy Land, Christmas is celebrated quietly because of the war. Access to the West Bank city of Bethlehem is extremely restricted by Israeli army roadblocks. But midnight mass should take place.