Smoke rises following Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza City, November 7, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Al-Masri
On Tuesday, Israel announced that its forces were advancing deep into Gaza City, positioning tanks on the outskirts in preparation for a potential assault on the city’s urban core. Major General Yaron Finkelman, the commanding officer of the Southern Command of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), stated that the IDF was engaged in fighting at the heart of Gaza City, confronting what he referred to as the center of terrorism. He mentioned that IDF forces were actively targeting militants, uncovering tunnels, and destroying weapons while advancing toward key enemy positions.
Israel had previously stated that it had encircled Gaza City, which is home to approximately one-third of Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million residents, with plans to eliminate Hamas fighters who had launched attacks on Israeli towns along the border a month ago.
There was no immediate confirmation on the ground regarding a substantial Israeli incursion into the city. Still, a spokesperson for the IDF, Richard Hecht, suggested that encircling troops might be conducting operations within the city. When asked about these operations, Hecht declined to provide specific details but alluded to their ongoing activities.
The military wing of Hamas claimed that its fighters were inflicting significant losses and damage on advancing Israeli forces. It remains challenging to independently verify the combat-related claims from either side.
The conflict began on October 7 when Hamas fighters breached the fence enclosing Gaza, resulting in casualties among Israelis, mainly civilians, and abducting over 200 individuals, according to Israeli estimates. Since then, Israel has relentlessly launched airstrikes on Hamas-controlled Gaza, leading to the loss of more than 10,000 lives, with approximately 40% of the casualties being children, as reported by health officials in the region.
UN Human Rights Commissioner Volcker Turk expressed his deep concern about the ongoing conflict, characterizing it as a month of continuous suffering, bloodshed, destruction, outrage, and despair. Turk made this statement at the start of his visit to the region, during which he planned to inspect the Rafah crossing from Egypt, the sole route for aid into Gaza.
Israel had granted residents of Gaza City a window from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to leave the city, though reports indicated that Israeli tanks primarily moved during the night. Israeli forces have largely relied on air and artillery strikes to pave the way for their ground offensive.
The Gaza Interior Ministry reported that approximately 900,000 Palestinians were still taking refuge in northern Gaza, including Gaza City. Residents attempting to leave have faced perilous conditions, with reports of close encounters with tanks, gruesome scenes of destruction, and ongoing danger.
While Israel’s military operation is concentrated in the northern half of Gaza, the southern region has also faced attacks. Palestinian health officials reported at least 23 casualties resulting from two separate Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza cities of Khan Younis and Rafah on Tuesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that, if successful, Israel would seek to maintain security responsibility for Gaza for an indefinite period. This statement was one of the first direct comments on the matter. He highlighted the perceived consequences of not having this security responsibility, as well as the lessons learned from past events.
Israel had withdrawn its troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip in 2005, subsequently leading to Hamas assuming control two years later. This was after Hamas defeated the Palestinian Authority, which maintains limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Simcha Rothman, a lawmaker in Netanyahu’s coalition, emphasized that Israeli forces should not shed blood to deliver control of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority. Rothman called for complete Israeli control and the demilitarization of the area to restore security.
In contrast, White House spokesman John Kirby expressed opposition to the reoccupation of Gaza by Israel. He stated that it would not be in the best interests of Israel or the Israeli people.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken engaged with regional leaders to discuss the future governance of Gaza after the conflict. Kirby emphasized that whatever governance structure emerges, it must differ from the situation before the start of the conflict, and it cannot involve Hamas.
Merav Michaeli, the leader of Israel’s opposition Labor Party, called for cooperation between Israel, the United States, Arab countries, and the Palestinian Authority to plan for a “political victory” in Gaza once Hamas is militarily defeated.
Both Israel and Hamas have rejected calls for a ceasefire. Israel has demanded the release of hostages as a precondition, while Hamas insists that it will not release them or cease fighting while Gaza remains under attack. The United States has expressed support for Israel’s position, arguing that a ceasefire would aid Hamas.
The ongoing conflict has generated a divisive international response, with stories of civilian suffering on both sides contributing to polarized opinions. In Israel, Avihai Brodutch described the anguish of the past month after his wife and three children were abducted by Hamas from Kfar Aza, a kibbutz located about three kilometers from Gaza. He expressed the innocence of his young children and their unjust suffering.
Over the past week, several Gazans holding foreign passports were allowed to leave Gaza for Egypt through the Rafah crossing. However, the vast majority of Gazans remain trapped within the strip, and those who have managed to escape describe the torment of leaving loved ones behind. Suzan Beseiso, a 31-year-old Palestinian-American who left Gaza for Egypt, characterized her experience as a never-ending horror movie, marked by a lack of sleep, food, water, and constant relocation from one place to another.
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