Fighting in Gaza: Israel sees “most intense day” of ground offensive
Published: Tuesday, Dec 5th 2023, 19:30
Updated At: Tuesday, Dec 5th 2023, 19:31
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In the face of fierce fighting throughout the Gaza Strip, Israel's military has spoken of the "most intense day since the start of the ground offensive". The troops are now also "in the heart" of Chan Junis, the largest city in the south of the Gaza Strip, the military announced on Tuesday. There is also fierce fighting in the north. In terms of the number of "terrorists killed, the number of battles and the use of firepower on land and in the air", this was the most intense day so far since the start of the offensive in the north of the coastal strip at the end of October. Meanwhile, international criticism of Israel's actions is growing.
The Israeli army prepared to encircle Khan Yunis. "Our forces are now encircling the area of Khan Yunis," said Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. The military is now also taking action against strongholds of the Islamist Hamas in the south of the coastal area.
Lazzarini: "The number of civilians killed is increasing rapidly."
According to the United Nations, the increase in attacks in the south since the end of the several-day ceasefire on Friday has led to more and more deaths among the civilian population. "The number of civilians killed is increasing rapidly," wrote Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the Palestinian Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), in a statement. With the expansion of operations in the south, "the horrors of recent weeks are being repeated", lamented Lazzarini.
At the request of the Israeli army, hundreds of thousands of civilians seeking protection had fled to the south of the sealed-off coastal area from the already fiercely contested north. According to UN figures, a total of around 1.9 million people - more than 80 percent of the population - are now displaced in the Gaza Strip.
WHO: A child or adolescent is killed in Gaza every ten minutes
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a child or young person is killed in Gaza every ten minutes. "The situation is getting worse by the hour," reported a WHO representative from Rafah on the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt. He spoke to reporters in Geneva via a video link.
The spokesman for the UN Children's Fund, Unicef, James Elder, criticized Israel's calls for people to leave neighbourhoods and go to safe zones. There are no safe zones in the Gaza Strip, Elder said via video link from Cairo. Such zones should have health facilities, water and food, but they are just small wastelands or sometimes just sidewalks, he said. "I think the authorities know this and I find it heartless. It reinforces the indifference towards children and women, and this indifference is deadly."
Ministry: More than 16,200 dead so far
According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, more than 16,200 people have now been killed in the Israeli attacks. On Monday, the authority had still spoken of almost 15,900 dead. The casualty figures cannot currently be independently verified, but the United Nations and other observers point out that the authority's figures have proven to be generally credible in the past.
Report: Israel has pumps to flood Gaza tunnel
According to a report in the "Wall Street Journal", Israel may be making preparations to flood the tunnels of the Islamist Hamas. A system of large pumps could be used to flood the extensive network of tunnels under the Gaza Strip. As the newspaper reported, citing US government officials, it is not known whether the Israeli government intends to use the tactic of flooding. Israeli army spokesman Richard Hecht said on Tuesday: "We are using all the means at our disposal to take action against the tunnel system."
Israel has intelligence information on hostages
When asked whether the military had intelligence information on where the hostages might be, an army spokesman said: "Yes, we do." He could not give any further details. Israel assumes that 137 hostages are still being held. Around 240 people were abducted in the Gaza Strip during the Hamas terror attack. Recently, 105 hostages were released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prison inmates.
Missile alert in Israel
Meanwhile, there were renewed rocket alerts on the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip, as well as in Tel Aviv and the center of the country. The Israeli news website ynet reported that a total of 15 rockets had been fired from the coastal area towards the greater Tel Aviv area.
The war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history, carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7 in Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip. As a result, more than 1,200 people were killed on the Israeli side, including at least 850 civilians.
Baerbock: Israel must comply with international humanitarian law in Gaza
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called on Israel to comply with international law in view of the dramatic humanitarian situation. "Israel has the right to protect its population within the framework of international law. However, the decisive factor is how Israel proceeds in this new phase," said the Green politician on Tuesday after a meeting with Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon in Ljubljana. "Israel has a responsibility to comply with international humanitarian law, to alleviate civilian suffering and to protect the civilian population in the process," added Baerbock. "Because too many Palestinians have already fallen victim to this conflict."
Emir of Qatar accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza
The Emir of Qatar accused Israel of genocide with its military action in the Gaza Strip. The right to self-defense does not permit genocidal crimes such as those committed by Israel, said Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in his opening speech at the summit of the heads of state and government of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Doha on Tuesday. "It is a disgrace for the international community to allow these heinous crimes to continue for almost two months, with systematic and deliberate killings of innocent civilians, including women and children," the Emir said. Qatar had recently mediated between Israel and Hamas. At the same time, Qatar also harbors leading Hamas members.
Thunberg also speaks of genocide
Climate activist Greta Thunberg and other members of the Swedish branch of the climate protection group Fridays for Future have also accused Israel of genocide in the Gaza Strip. Thunberg and five other signatories wrote in an opinion piece published in the newspapers "Aftonbladet" (Sweden) and "Guardian" (UK) on Tuesday that the Islamist Hamas, which rules Gaza, had "murdered Israeli civilians in a terrible attack" and that this could not legitimize Israel's "ongoing war crimes".
Fighting again on Israel's border with Lebanon
In response to shelling from Lebanon, Israel's military has attacked positions of the Hezbollah militia there. As the Israeli army announced on Tuesday night, fighter jets had hit missile positions of the Iranian-backed Shiite militia shortly beforehand.
©Keystone/SDA
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