2023-10-28 23:45:47
Time.news – La Israel’s war against the militiamen of Gaza will be “long and difficult”, the prime minister warned Benjamin Netanyahu, while Hamas was demanding the release of all Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages seized three weeks ago.
The United Nations has warned that thousands more civilians could die in Gaza, while Israel said ground forces were still operating inside the Hamas-run territory, more than 24 hours after it entered on Friday.
The conflict is the fifth and the deadliest in Gaza since Israel unilaterally withdrew troops and settlers from Palestinian territory in 2005. The UN human rights chief, Volker Turk, warned of the “possible catastrophic consequences of large-scale ground operations in Gaza”, saying that “thousands more civilians” could die.
Intense attacks against Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, have provided cover for Israeli ground forces to step up operations.
“Since yesterday evening, combined combat forces of armored vehicles, engineers and infantry have been operating on the ground in the northern Gaza Strip,” the army said. THEIsrael has massed tens of thousands of troops thereborder Gaza, raising expectations of a full-scale invasion, with its soldiers carrying out limited ground incursions on Wednesday and Thursday.
“This is the second phase of the war whose objectives are clear: to destroy Hamas’ military and leadership capabilities and bring the hostages home,” Netanyahu said at a news conference. “The war in the Strip will be long and difficult and we are prepared,” he said, describing an “existential test” for Israel.
Il Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had previously said that “we have entered a new phase of the war” as “the earth in Gaza shook” due to Israeli attacks. “We attacked above and below ground,” Gallant said, alluding to the network of tunnels Hamas has built under Gaza.
Israeli fighter jets dropped leaflets over Gaza city warning residents that the area was now a “battlefield”. “Shelters in northern Gaza and Gaza governorate (city) are unsafe,” the army said, urging residents to “immediately evacuate” to the south.
The army had already issued similar warnings at the start of the campaign, but many of those who fled ended up returning home after failing to find refuge. The armed wing of Hamas said it was ready to release the seized hostages if Israel freed all the Palestinian prisoners held. IDF brands the proposal as “psychological terror”.
“The price to pay for the large number of enemy hostages in our hands is to empty the (Israeli) prisons of all Palestinian prisoners,” said Brigades spokesman Ezzedine al-Qassam Abu Obeida. “If the enemy wants to close this file of prisoners in one fell swoop, we are ready. If he wants to do it step by step, we are ready for this too”, he added.
Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar said the group was ready to make an exchange “immediately”. About 230 hostages are being held in Gaza, according to the Israeli military, and officials say dozens of them are foreigners or dual citizens. The Brigades claimed that “nearly 50” of the hostages had been killed in the Israeli attacks.
Faced with growing anger over the fate of the prisoners as Israel escalates its war against Hamas, Netanyahu met with representatives of the hostages’ relatives. Ifat Kalderon, whose cousin Ofer Kalderon is believed to be detained in Gaza along with members of his family, said he supported the idea of releasing prisoners in exchange for hostages.
“Take them, we don’t need them here. I want my family and all the hostages to go home.” Netanyahu made no commitment to any swap deal, but assured the hostages’ families that Israel “will exhaust every option to bring them home.”
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