2024-10-18 12:10:00
This week, <a href="https://time.news/israeli-army-fights-in-three-hamas-strongholds-in-gaza/" title="Israeli army fights in three Hamas strongholds in Gaza”>northern Gaza has been the scene of shelling and ground fighting of unprecedented intensity. The IDF says Hamas is “rebuilding its operational capabilities” in Jabaliya, where several dozen Palestinians have been killed and where the humanitarian situation is alarming. The Ministry of Defense and the Israeli army have announced the death of the leader of the Palestinian movement, Yahya Sinouar, “eliminated” in Gaza in one of the ongoing operations, which continue while Hezbollah and Tsahal exchange more rocket launches and bombings in the south of Lebanon.
Intense bombing in northern Gaza, Yahya Sinouar killed
On Thursday, a school located in Jabaliya, northern Gaza, was the target of an Israeli bombing. The facility housed displaced civilians and, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least 28 Palestinians were killed and several dozen injured. For the Israeli army, the school housed dozens of Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters. “There is no water to put out the fire. There is nothing. It is a massacre. Civilians and children are killed, burned alive,” complained an official from the Ministry of Health, Medhat Abbas.
Last Sunday, at least 15 people were killed in an attack that also targeted a school, which housed Palestinians displaced from the Nuseirat camp (centre). For almost two weeks, Tel Aviv has been concentrating its operations in the north, where Hamas is “rebuilding its operational capabilities” and whose 60,000 inhabitants have been ordered to evacuate to the already overcrowded humanitarian zone of Al-Mawasi.
Last Tuesday’s bombings caused at least 50 deaths across the enclave. In Deir al-Balah, located halfway between Gaza City and Rafah, a camp for displaced people near the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital was bombed, leaving unbearable scenes showing fire devouring tents and burning alive people trapped by flames.
Gaza’s Health Ministry announced Thursday a new death toll of 42,438 in the Palestinian territory since the war with Israel began more than a year ago, including at least 29 in the past 24 hours. Another 99,246 people have been injured since October 7, 2023.
The humanitarian situation in northern Gaza is equally worrying and the Security Council, meeting urgently on Wednesday at Algeria’s request, deplored the “worst restriction of aid” since the beginning of the conflict. Last August, the amount of humanitarian aid delivered to the Palestinian enclave was one of the lowest of the year.
Faced with this situation, Washington has threatened to suspend part of its aid to Israel if the situation does not improve. Soon after, the IDF allowed 50 trucks to pass through this devastated region, compared to only a dozen the day before.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz confirmed Thursday evening the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinouar, considered the mastermind of the October 7 attack. “The elimination of Sinwar is an opportunity for the immediate release of the hostages and paves the way for profound change in Gaza: without Hamas and without Iranian control,” he said. Prior to the announcement, the Israeli army had announced that it was “verifying”, through DNA analysis, whether the movement’s leader had indeed been “eliminated”.
The toll in Lebanon rises
The announcement was immediately welcomed by Berlin, which in turn asked them to “lay down their arms” and release the hostages. Hamas officials say evidence confirms this death. A terrible blow for the Palestinian movement at a time when the Israeli general staff has achieved one of its objectives, that of the release of the hostages.
In southern Lebanon, United Nations Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers came under fire again this week. Tel Aviv says UNIFIL, supported by European countries, was “not a target” of Israeli forces; “who carry out operations against the terrorist organization Hezbollah”. “UNIFIL’s infrastructure and forces are not a target and any incident against the rules will be examined in detail,” he explains.
Israeli bombing of Beirut continues and Washington says it is “opposed” to these massive attacks. “We have made it clear to Israel that we oppose the bombing campaign launched in recent weeks in Beirut.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has informed Emmanuel Macron of his opposition to a “unilateral ceasefire” in Lebanon, reiterating his determination to strike Hezbollah “without respite”. The death toll in Lebanon reached 2,367 dead and 11,088 wounded on Wednesday since the war in Gaza began, the majority after the dramatic escalation on September 23.
#Intense #IDF #operations #northern #Gaza #death #toll #exceeds #Hamas #leader #Yahya #Sinouar #eliminated #Tel #Aviv