Israel rejects a general ceasefire. Only humanitarian breaks are granted. According to Israel’s defense minister, the war against Hamas will last for years if necessary. The overview.
According to Defense Minister Joav Galant, Israel is prepared to wage war against the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip for years to come. The army will find everyone involved in the October 7 massacre in Israel, he said on Thursday evening. “No matter whether it takes a week, a month, a year and possibly even years.” He also spoke out against a compromise with Hamas and other extremist groups in the Gaza Strip, saying they had harmed and murdered Israeli citizens. “We will eliminate them all.”
The army has also started using new methods to destroy the tunnels in the Gaza Strip. Galant left it open what exactly these look like.
USA: Israel grants humanitarian breaks in northern Gaza
More than a month after the start of the Gaza war, Israel has agreed to daily, four-hour humanitarian breaks in the northern part of the sealed-off coastal strip, according to the US. These breaks should be announced three hours in advance, said National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby in Washington. According to him, humanitarian aid could be delivered during the breaks and a time window could be created so that people can escape from the immediate danger zone.
The US government and Israel continue to reject a general ceasefire. Without the release of the 239 hostages held by the Islamist Hamas, there will be no ceasefire, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
Netanyahu’s office also referred to an existing escape corridor for civilians in the Gaza Strip from the north to the south, through which Israel currently regularly promises people safe passage for a few hours. It was said that 50,000 people used the escape route on Wednesday.
The Israeli military had earlier indicated on the online platform X that there was no ceasefire, but “tactical, local pauses in humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza.”
The U.S. government argues that a ceasefire would only play into the hands of Gaza’s ruling Hamas and give the group time to reposition itself for further attacks. On October 7, Hamas terrorists attacked Israel and killed more than 1,400 people. The United Nations demanded that the logistics of the now announced cessation of fighting “particularly with regard to time and place” must be discussed with the world organization.
9,500 rockets and mortar shells fired towards Israel
According to the Israeli army, around 9,500 rockets and mortar shells as well as dozens of drones have been fired towards Israel since the beginning of the Gaza war. Since the ground operations in the Gaza Strip, the number of shootings has decreased significantly, the army said. The military did not explicitly say whether bullets from Lebanon, Yemen and Syria were also counted. According to this, twelve percent of all projectiles landed in the Gaza Strip itself. Around 900 were fired from civilian locations, including mosques, schools and hospitals.
Video of two hostages released
The terrorist organization Islamic Jihad, which is active in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, released a video of two Israeli hostages. It shows an older woman and a boy. The authenticity of the video could not initially be verified. However, those affected are listed as hostages on an official website by family representatives. According to reports, it is a 77-year-old woman and a 13-year-old child. Both hostages expressed strong criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government in the video. It was unclear whether the two expressed their honest opinions.
With the mediation of the Gulf Emirate of Qatar, which has good relations with Hamas, and in consultation with the USA, negotiations are currently underway to free around a dozen prisoners. This was confirmed by a person with knowledge of these discussions to the German Press Agency. In return, the fighting should stop for 48 to 72 hours.
Deaths during operations in Jenin
According to Palestinian sources, at least 14 people were killed in an Israeli military operation in Jenin in the West Bank. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said more than 20 others were injured.
According to the Israeli army, the operation was aimed at terrorists in the refugee district in Jenin. The military reported ten Palestinians killed. Jenin is considered a stronghold for militant Palestinians. There are repeated raids by the Israeli army there. The situation in the West Bank has deteriorated significantly since the beginning of the war.
Israel’s army continues to advance in the Gaza Strip
Israeli ground troops captured a Hamas base after heavy fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, according to the army. This is in the refugee district of Jabalia. It was said that both Hamas and Islamic Jihad were involved in the ten-hour-long battle. Many towns in the north of the Gaza Strip have been largely destroyed in the war that began more than a month ago. Videos released by Hamas show fighting among the ruins. Hamas fighters are repeatedly seen firing anti-tank missiles at Israeli tanks.
Israel believes that Hamas’ military and political leadership is hiding in the underground tunnel system in the Gaza Strip. At least some of the 239 hostages that Hamas and other extremist groups kidnapped in the massacre in Israel are also believed to be there.
Aid organizations at international conference in Paris
At an international aid conference in Paris, humanitarian organizations insisted on opening more border crossings for deliveries to the Gaza Strip. The humanitarian situation is rapidly deteriorating and a ceasefire is necessary so that aid can reach the people, said representatives of international organizations. The one-day conference was attended by states, international organizations and NGOs operating in the Gaza Strip.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who called the meeting, said: “We need a very quick humanitarian pause and work towards a ceasefire. The space that humanitarian actors need to operate in Gaza must be created.”
The number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip has risen to 10,818 since the war began a month ago, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry. More than 27,000 people were injured, the authority announced on. Among the dead are 4,412 children and young people. On Wednesday, the authority reported that more than 10,500 Palestinians had been killed. The figures and information cannot be independently verified.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is setting off on another trip to the Middle East this Friday morning. According to a spokesman for the Foreign Office in Berlin, she wants to hold crisis talks in connection with the Gaza war in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Israel.