Hamas terrorists have 150 hostages in their control, probably including Germans. There is still no official confirmation of the circumstances in Berlin. The attacks on Israel continue.
According to information from ZDF, Hamas terrorists kidnapped at least five Germans during the attack on Israel. As the station reported, a German was killed. There was no confirmation of this information from the Foreign Office in Berlin. The Federal Prosecutor General began investigating Hamas because of kidnappings and suspected killings of Germans.
According to the Israeli army, Hamas kidnapped around 150 people in the Gaza Strip. The Islamist Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU, the USA and Israel.
The governments in Berlin and Paris are working closely with the authorities in Israel to clarify the whereabouts of their citizens, as Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) emphasized in a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Hamburg. According to the Foreign Ministry in Paris, eight French people were killed and 20 are missing.
The Israeli army has now called up around 300,000 reservists and is apparently planning a large-scale military operation. The coastal strip on the Mediterranean is around 40 kilometers long and between six and twelve kilometers wide. About two million people live there.
The attack caught Israel unprepared on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah (Joy of the Torah) on Saturday. So far, the Ministry of Health has counted around 900 dead and 2,901 injured on the Israeli side.
Israel responded with air strikes on the Gaza Strip, in which, according to the Ministry of Health, 830 people died and 4,250 people were injured. According to the Israeli military, the armed forces “continue to carry out large-scale attacks on terrorist targets of the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip.”
Missile alarm again in Tel Aviv
On Tuesday, Hamas again fired rockets at the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv and the center of the country. Explosions from the Iron Dome missile defense system were heard. There were initially no reports of injuries. According to the army, there were renewed clashes with armed attackers from the Gaza Strip. Four terrorists were discovered and put out of action near Zikim Beach, almost two kilometers north of the Gaza Strip.
Israel is threatened with a second front in the north
Israel was attacked not only from the Gaza Strip, but also from the south of Lebanon. There had already been clashes with armed people there on Monday. The army said the deputy commander of the 300th Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Alim Abdallah, and two Israeli soldiers were killed. There is great concern that a second front could emerge there if the highly armed Shiite organization Hezbollah, which is also allied with Iran, were to fire rockets at Israel from Lebanon.
According to information from Lebanese security circles, militants fired rockets again from southern Lebanon towards Israel on Tuesday. The Israeli army responded with artillery fire. According to the Israeli army, around 15 rockets were fired, four were intercepted and ten landed in open areas.
Israel kills senior Hamas members in Gaza
According to the army, Israel killed other high-ranking Hamas members in the counter-strikes on the Gaza Strip: Economics Minister Javad Abu Shamala and another important Hamas member who was reportedly involved in planning numerous terrorist activities against Israel.
British aid organizations: situation in Gaza is terrible
The British aid organizations Save the Children and Islamic Relief called for the conflict to be defused. The situation in the Gaza Strip is “terrible,” a spokesman for Islamic Relief told the British news agency PA. The hospitals are overwhelmed by the many injured people. A spokesman for Save the Children condemned the violence against children in the conflict.
The United Nations calls for compliance with international humanitarian law
There are clear signs of war crimes, emphasized a commission of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. “Taking civilians hostage and using them as human shields are war crimes.”
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, told the government in Jerusalem that the ordered closure of the Gaza Strip was not compatible with international law.
Israel reacted sharply to Turk’s criticism. In view of the many victims, the High Commissioner could not bring himself to “call these barbaric acts terrorism,” said the Israeli mission in Geneva.
Baerbock calls for distancing from the Palestinian leadership
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) called on the Palestinian leadership to distance themselves from Hamas attacks.
The Israeli ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, called for solidarity with Israel’s military response. The army will strike back, he said after an appearance at the meeting of the Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag. He thanked you for the solidarity and hopes that it will be maintained, “although you will probably also see other pictures (..) when we strike back.”
“Washington Post”: Attack prepared with the support of Iran
According to a report by The Washington Post, the attack had been in the making for at least a year and with the support of Iran. Planning would have begun at least in mid-2022, the newspaper wrote, citing findings from intelligence analysts from the West and the Middle East. Iranian allies have provided military training, logistical assistance and tens of millions of dollars in weapons.
The US has no clear evidence of direct Iranian involvement in Hamas’ attacks on Israel, National Security Council communications director John Kirby told CNN.