Israel expands ground operations in Gaza

2023-10-28 07:40:48

Time.news – During the night, the worst since the beginning of the war according to the inhabitants of Gaza, Israeli fighters attacked around 150 underground targets in the north of the Strip, dozens of terrorists were killed and no Israeli casualties were recorded. This is the update from the army spokesperson on the bombing that took place last night on Gaza.

“Hamas terrorists have been eliminated and tunnels, underground combat zones and other terrorist infrastructure have been destroyed,” he reported. In the briefing, conducted by Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy and the generals, it was noted that, in parallel with the expansion of ground operations, a series of massive air strikes were “carried out from the air and sea in Gaza City and surrounding areas”. So far, the army says, there have been no casualties among the Israeli soldiers in the clashes in which they have been engaged.

The destroyed passages

A network of tunnels up to two or three kilometers long, twelve meters deep, used by Hamas militiamen to transport weapons and escape attacks, but also to transfer hostages, are been hitby the Israeli Air Force. The Israeli Defense showed a map, which indicated the targets hit: one would be in North Gaza, on the border with Israel, another in Deir Al-Balah, the third in Gaza and two others in the southern area of ​​the Strip, both in area south of Khan Younis, a short distance from Rafah, the gateway to Egypt.

Meanwhile, the military wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, has reported fighting on the ground: “We are facing Israeli ground incursions in Beit Hanoun (north) and al-Boureij (centre). Heavy fighting is underway”, he reported in a statement. And an Israeli army spokesperson confirmed that Israeli forces are operating “within the Gaza Strip.”

International media reported that the Red Crescent, the World Health Organization, Doctors Without Borders, Unicef ​​and other humanitarian organizations they said they had lost all contact with their staff in Gaza of the “blackout” which is effectively isolating the city. For its part, Hamas said it was “ready” to face a ground offensive and also announced that it had launched “rocket salvos” against Israel.

Meanwhile in New York, the United Nations General Assembly called by a large majority for a “immediate, lasting and prolonged humanitarian truce“. A resolution immediately welcomed by Hamas and the Palestinian ambassador, but rejected by Israel, whose ambassador to the United Nations called it “an infamy”.

Jews calling for #ceasefirenow have taken over NYC’s grand central station in the name of Palestinians of Gaza we say not in our name. pic.twitter.com/PsU4f10QLV

— Rafael Shimunov (@rafaelshimunov) October 27, 2023

Ceasefire demonstrations are underway in many parts of the world, with representatives of all communities, including Jews and Muslims, marching together. In New York, thousands of people gathered at Grand Central station, in the heart of Manhattan, to demand an end to the violence. The video has gone viral online showing the protesters, all wearing black t-shirts with calls for peace, clapping their hands in time and chanting the slogan “No more weapons/No More war/Ceasefire is what we’re calling for” .

Over 1,400 people have been killed in Israel, mostly civilians massacred on October 7 by Hamas, the deadliest attack in Israeli history, according to authorities. According to the army, 229 hostages, Israelis and foreigners, were taken to Gaza by Hamas, which has since released four women. The Palestinian group estimated that “nearly 50” hostages were killed in the Israeli shelling. Hamas’ health ministry also said that 7,326 people, mostly civilians including more than 3,000 children, have been killed in Gaza in Israeli retaliatory shelling since October 7.

Since October 21, according to the UN, 84 trucks of humanitarian aid have arrived from Egypt in the Gaza Strip, when there would be at least a hundred a day. “These few trucks are nothing more than crumbs that will make no difference” to the population, said Philippe Lazzarini, director of UNRWA. The UN agency announced that it had “significantly reduced its operations” due to the bombing and lack of fuel. Twelve of the 35 hospitals in the Gaza Strip had to close.

The Israeli army, meanwhile, has announced killing the head of the Hamas air force in the Gaza Strip, in the night bombings on Gaza. According to Israel, Atsam Abu Rakaba had been one of the planners of the attack against Israeli communities on October 7, in particular he had led the terrorists who had infiltrated Israeli territory with paragliders.

Overnight, IDF fighter jets struck Asem Abu Rakaba, the Head of Hamas’ Aerial Array.

Abu Rakaba was responsible for Hamas’ UAVs, drones, paragliders, aerial detection and defense.

He took part in planning the October 7 massacre and commanded the terrorists who infiltrated…

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 28, 2023

Blinken to Wang Yi, use influence to avoid escalation

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi discussed the war between Israel and Gaza during their meetings in the US in the last few hours.
Blinken – says the State Department – “reaffirmed the United States’ support for Israel’s right to defend itself” and also underlined “the importance that all countries, in particular the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, unequivocally denounce Hamas terrorist attacks and use their influence to prevent the escalation and expansion of the conflict.”

Hamas: “No negotiations with the intensification of raids”

“There are no ongoing negotiations with Israel” for a potential ceasefire or prisoner exchange. According to ‘Al Jazeera’, a Hamas spokesperson states this: Osama Hamdan. “CThere have been talks and political efforts to reach an agreement” on a potential ceasefire and prisoner exchange. But as Israeli raids intensify “there are no negotiations underway.”

Hamas asks Hezbollah to intervene

A senior official of Hamas has called on Hezbollah and other allies to play a bigger role in the conflict between Israel and the Islamist movement. Ghazi Hamad said in an interview with The Associated Press that “we appreciate that Hezbollah is working against the occupation, but we need more to stop the aggression in Gaza. We expect more.” Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah met with senior officials from Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Wednesday, the Lebanese group said. Hezbollah’s press office also released a handwritten letter from Nasrallah – his first statement since the war began – praising those who died fighting Israel.

Hamad ha ribadito che Hamas is “very open” to discussing the release of others.
According to the Associated Press, Hamad made no apology for the high number of civilian deaths in Israel or the growing death toll in Gaza.

IDF-Hamas clashes between Beit Hanoun and the Bureij refugee camp

The Israeli Air Force began Friday night to attack ortargets of Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip. According to Palestinian sources, there are clashes between IDF soldiers and Hamas terrorists between the city of Beit Hanoun and the Bureij refugee camp in northern Gaza. The Israeli military stated that some of his troops are actually fighting in the Gaza Strip, but declined to say whether the operation is the beginning of a full-scale land invasion. For two days, Israeli troops have been carrying out small incursions. “Our troops and tanks are inside the Gaza Strip. They are shooting and operating,” said Major Nir Dinar, military spokesman. “But even yesterday our troops and our tanks were inside Gaza,” he added, as reported by the New York Times.

Hamas: “We are bombing southern Israel”

The military wing of Hamas, the Al Qassam Brigadesmade it known that the cities of Sderot and Ashdod, in southern Israel, and Ashkelon were targeted with “intense missile volleys”. BBC correspondents in Ashkelon and Sderot confirmed that air-raid sirens sounded. Palestinian rockets hit Ashkelon this morning, without being intercepted by the sIsraeli Iron Dome missile defense system.

Hamas is ‘ready’ for an Israeli invasion of Gaza. “If Netanyahu decides to enter Gaza tonight, the resistance will be ready,” Ezzat al-Rishaq, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said on Telegram, “The remains of his soldiers will be swallowed up by the land of Gaza.”

The White House: “Biden is following events very closely”

The White House is following events in Gaza and Israel “very, very closely.” A senior administration official provided more details on how the White House is responding. Speaking to CBS, the source said that President Joe Biden was briefed by the National Security Council this morning. “He will be updated, obviously, throughout the weekend on what’s happening on the field,” he said “Obviously we are following the situation very, very closely and we will remain in contact with our Israeli counterparts.”

UN Assembly votes on resolution for ‘immediate truce’

The United Nations General Assembly, convened yesterday in a special session, voted today by an overwhelming majority for a resolution who asks the ““immediate humanitarian truce” between Israel and the Palestinian militants of Hamas and access to humanitarian aid for the besieged population in the Gaza Strip. The resolution, presented by the Arab states, is not binding, unlike those of the Security Council, but it has political weight. The text was approved, amid applause, with 120 votes in favour, 45 abstentions and 14 against, including Israel and the United States. The General Assembly voted after the Security Council failed to pass four resolutions, including one from the United States and two submitted by Russia.

© AFP

The United Nations assembly

Italy abstained on the resolution for the truce in Gaza

Italy is among the Parsi members who abstained during the vote on the resolution calling for a truce in Gaza, presented by the Arab states, and approved by a large majority by the United Nations General Assembly. The United Kingdom and Germany also abstained. France, among others, voted in favour. In his speech, expected in the evening, the Italian ambassador Maurizio Massari explained that “If on the one hand – he explained – we recognize the efforts made by the Arab countries, these were not sufficient to push Italy to vote in favor of the resolution”.

Tajani: “Lost contact with the Italians in Gaza”

The Italian consulate in Jerusalem has lost contact with Italians in the Gaza Strip. The Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, said this in an interview with Tg3. “We are in contact with the consulate in Jerusalem which in turn maintained contact with our compatriots until they became unreachable. Our embassy in Cairo is ready to go to the Rafah crossing if it is decided to allow foreigners to leave the border. Gaza Strip and from there take them to the Egyptian capital and then to Italy.”

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