War in the Middle East
Updated on December 15, 2023, 6:16 a.m
“We have new fighting methods that we will use,” said an Israeli army spokesman. (Shot date: December 9, 2023 in Gaza)
© Aton Chile/IMAGO/FUERZAS ARMADAS DE ISRAEL
Israel continues to be supported by the USA in the war in the Middle East, but there is also pressure because of the many civilian casualties. The country should fight Hamas more specifically. An army spokesman explains a tactic. The situation in the Middle East at a glance.
Israel is receiving increasing pressure from the USA to show more consideration for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, but at the same time it is encouraging its allies to fight for a very long war. US President Joe Biden said on Thursday (local time) to Israel: “I want them to focus on how they can save the lives of civilians. They should not stop persecuting Hamas, but be more careful.”
At a meeting with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Tel Aviv, Israel’s Defense Minister Joav Galant made it clear that the war would last “more than a few months” – until the Islamist Hamas was completely destroyed.
Netanyahu: Continue war until absolute victory
The terrorist organization had built an “underground and above-ground infrastructure that was not easy to destroy,” Galant told Sullivan. Following the meeting, Sullivan met with Israel’s head of government
This is an issue for “sometime in the near future,” said National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby in Washington on Thursday. “I don’t want to commit to a specific time.” They also don’t want to tell the Islamist Hamas what will happen to them in the coming weeks or months. Kirby did not say what such a military operation might look like and referred to the Israeli government.
Army spokesman: Kill terrorists in the tunnels
An Israeli army spokesman gave a little insight into what lies ahead for Hamas. “We have new fighting methods that we will use to kill terrorists,” said Daniel Hagari on Thursday evening.
Hamas terrorists and especially their leaders hid in their underground tunnels. “We will penetrate, plant explosives in places we know the terrorists frequent, and wait for the right moment to kill them underground,” Hagari said. “The terrorists will not be safe underground.
Report: Tests to flood the tunnels successful
According to US media reports, Israel’s army has also tested flooding the tunnels. Seawater was pumped into some tunnels to find out whether the method was suitable for large-scale destruction of the tunnel network. As the Times of Israel reported on the tests, “they appear to have been successful.” The tunnels stretch for many kilometers. According to Israel, a number of terrorists are said to be hiding there and are also holding hostages from Israel. To withstand Israeli bombs from the air, some tunnels extend dozens of meters underground. Many tunnels are booby-trapped to kill Israeli soldiers.
US security advisor holds further discussions
Meanwhile, US Security Advisor Sullivan is planning a meeting with Israeli President Izchak Herzog on Friday morning. According to a US government official, he also wants to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on the same day. Looking to the end of the war and the future of the Gaza Strip, the US official spoke of a “number of security forces linked to the Palestinian Authority,” he told US officials. These could “form a kind of nucleus” in the months after the war. “But this is something we are discussing with the Palestinians and the Israelis and with regional partners,” he continued.
The war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel’s history, which terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups carried out in Israel on October 7th. More than 1,200 people were killed and around 240 hostages were taken to Gaza. Israel responded with massive air strikes and began a ground offensive in late October. According to Hamas’ latest figures, around 18,700 people have been killed in attacks in the Gaza Strip so far.
Army spokesman: Do everything you can to get the hostages back
Given the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, Israel has recently come under increasing international pressure – including from the USA. Meanwhile, Israel continues to worry about the 135 hostages still being held by Hamas. “We will continue to do everything – everything – to bring all hostages home,” said army spokesman Hagari. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu called on the Red Cross to exert more pressure to gain access to Hamas hostages.
“You have every opportunity, every right and every expectation to put public pressure on Hamas,” Netanyahu said at a meeting with International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Mirjana Spoljaric in Tel Aviv. He handed her a package of medicines and called on the ICRC to “fulfill its task and deliver them to the hostages in Gaza.”
What will be important on Friday
US Security Advisor Sullivan wants to meet with Israeli President Izchak Herzog on Friday. He also wants to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on the same day. Meanwhile, UN aid organizations are providing information in Geneva about the situation in the Gaza Strip. (dpa/mbo)
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