The Gaza war continues to rage with enormous intensity at the turn of the year. The destruction in the narrow coastal strip is enormous. But Israel’s government will not let itself be dissuaded from its course. The overview.
Almost three months after the start of the Gaza war, Israel’s army is continuing its intensified attacks in the heavily bombed coastal strip and reporting successes. Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari announced on Saturday evening that the troops had now stormed the headquarters of the Islamist Hamas in Khan Yunis in the south of the Gaza Strip. The terrorist organization’s secret service headquarters was also located there.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “more than 8,000 terrorists have already been eliminated” in Gaza, according to a statement from his office. This information could not be independently verified.
Israel’s army: fight in the north against the last Hamas stronghold
According to their own statements, the armed forces are currently concentrating primarily on the south of the coastal area with the city of Khan Yunis and on the central Gaza Strip. Israel suspects that the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Jihia Sinwar, is hiding in the underground tunnels under Khan Yunis. “We are intensifying the fight against Hamas,” Netanyahu said. In the north, Israel’s army says it is in the process of exercising complete control over the area. The focus there is now on the last remaining Hamas stronghold in the city of Gaza, the Tufah district, explained army spokesman Hagari.
Destruction is on a massive scale
Israel’s weeks of bombing have caused enormous destruction in the sealed-off coastal strip, which is barely larger than the city of Munich. As the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing the US intelligence agency US Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Israel’s army had dropped 29,000 bombs by mid-December alone. Almost 70 percent of the 439,000 houses and apartments were damaged or destroyed. The industrial zone in the north has also been almost completely destroyed, it said, citing an analysis by the World Bank.
“The word ‘Gaza’ will go down in history like Dresden and other famous cities that were bombed,” the newspaper quoted Robert Pape, a political scientist at the University of Chicago, as saying. In view of the catastrophic humanitarian situation and the high number of civilian victims, Israel has recently come under increasing international criticism. But the government remains tough. “Hamas will be defeated,” Netanyahu said, quoting the words of Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi: “The war will continue for many more months.”
Israel’s head of government refuses to resign
However, after a year in office, Netanyahu is also under strong domestic pressure. The head of government is met with distrust among his own population. According to polls, the majority of Israelis want him to resign after the end of the Gaza war at the latest. However, Netanyahu refused to resign on Saturday. “The only thing I’m going to step away from is Hamas. That’s what I’m dealing with,” he said, according to the Times of Israel.
Many people accuse the Israeli head of government of not yet admitting personal responsibility for allowing the Hamas massacre to take place in Israel on October 7th. With 1,200 deaths, it was the worst massacre in Israel’s history. Around 240 people were deported to Gaza. According to Israeli information, almost 130 hostages are still being held there.
Israel’s military began massive air strikes and a ground offensive in response to the attack. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority in Gaza, 21,672 people have been killed so far. No distinction is made between civilians and fighters. The number cannot be independently verified.
Palestinian terrorist group: hostage killed in airstrike
According to a Palestinian terrorist organization, one of the hostages still being held in Gaza was killed in an airstrike. Israel’s army had previously tried to free the Israeli soldier, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said on Saturday. The attempt failed. The information could not be independently verified. Israel’s army declined to comment.
There was another exchange of fire on Israel’s border with Lebanon
Meanwhile, the army also ended a large-scale attack on targets of the Hezbollah militia there on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon on Saturday, the spokesman said. Three “terrorist cells” were eliminated. The army will continue to attack Hezbollah military positions in southern Lebanon.
“The southern region of Lebanon will not return to what it once was,” Hagari continued. During the course of Saturday, several rockets were detected from Lebanon to Israel. 80 percent of Hezbollah’s rockets fell on Lebanese territory. This, too, could not be independently verified.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, there have been repeated confrontations between Israel’s army and Hezbollah on the border. There were deaths and injuries on both sides. It is the worst escalation since the second Lebanon war in 2006. Hezbollah has connections to Hamas in Gaza, but is considered more powerful. It is also considered the most important non-state ally of Israel’s arch-enemy Iran.
Israel hopes for Germany’s help
Israeli opposition politician Benny Gantz asked Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) for support in keeping the Hezbollah militia away from Israel’s border. “The State of Israel cannot accept such a threat and Germany, together with the international community, must play an important role in ensuring that this threat is eliminated,” Gantz wrote on the X platform (formerly Twitter) on Saturday.
Another rocket attack by the Houthis
Meanwhile, Israel’s most important ally in the south of the Red Sea says it has again intercepted two rockets from Yemen-based Houthi rebels. The US Navy responded to a call for help from a Danish container ship that had previously been hit by a missile, the responsible regional command announced on X on Sunday morning. However, the ship is reportedly seaworthy and no injuries have been reported.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, the Houthis have repeatedly attacked ships in the Red Sea, one of the most important shipping routes for world trade. They also attack Israel directly with rockets.
What will be important on Sunday
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip remains catastrophic. Nevertheless, Israel’s army continues to intensify its attacks in the area.