Very violent fighting pitted Israeli troops against Palestinian fighters this Saturday in Jabalia, in the north of the Gaza Strip, and in Rafah, in the south, while in the eighth month of the war against Hamas, dissensions are widening at the top of the Israeli state.
The Israeli army claimed this Saturday to have “eliminated around fifty terrorists” in the east of Rafah, the southern Gazan city adjoining Egypt, where its troops entered on May 7, causing the flight of 800,000 people since then. , according to the UN agency Unrwa. According to AFP journalists, artillery fire and airstrikes continue in the east and northeast of Rafah.
The al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, also claimed to be confronting Israeli troops in the east of the city, who entered this sector on May 7.
Jabalia set on fire
In the north of the Gaza Strip, the army ordered in the evening the “immediate” evacuation of western neighborhoods of the town of Jabalia, from where it said rockets were fired at Israeli towns. At the beginning of January, Israel announced that it had neutralized Hamas in the north of the Palestinian territory, but according to the army, the movement (considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the EU) “totally” controlled Jabalia. a few days ago.”
Hamas reported “dozens” of deaths and “hundreds of injured,” accusing the Israeli army of targeting “residential buildings” as well as “schools and shelters.” The Al-Quds Brigades claimed to have targeted an Israeli command center in Jabalia.
Humanitarian equipment delivered by the floating jetty
While the delivery of humanitarian aid has been almost at a standstill for days, “more than 300 pallets” of material were sent for the first time on Saturday via a temporary floating jetty built by the United States, announced Saturday the Israeli army.
But the UN and humanitarian organizations repeat that only the opening of road crossings can guarantee the necessary large-scale deliveries, in the small overpopulated territory, besieged and threatened with famine.
Many Israelis demonstrated Saturday evening in Tel Aviv against Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding the return of the hostages. The Israeli army announced earlier that it had repatriated the body of a hostage, Ron Benjamin, 53, recovered in Gaza, where he had been taken dead on October 7. His remains were found with those of three other hostages whose repatriation had been announced on Friday.