Israel’s military has launched an “offensive operation” against southern Lebanon as it continues preparations for a ground operation in Rafah as part of the war against Hamasdespite the warnings of the international community.
The Palestinian Islamist movement has released on its side a video showing one of the hostages it took in its unprecedented attack on October 7 in southern Israel, sparking the war in the Gaza Strip.
On the so-called northern front, the Israeli army confirmed in the early hours of the morning that it carried out airstrikes yesterday against Hezbollah “infrastructure” in Maroun ar Ras and against an “observation position” of the Shiite armed movement in Merkava, in southern Lebanon.
He also announced that he moved on yesterday to “offensive operation” in “the entire south” of Lebanonspeaking of air and artillery strikes against 40 targets of Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, around Aita al-Saab.
“A large number of troops have been deployed on the border (…) half of Hezbollah’s commanders in southern Lebanon have been eliminated, the other half are in hiding and have left the field free for operations” by the Israeli army, Defense Minister Yoav Gallad claimed.
“Two Brigades”
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (FINUL in French, UNIFIL in English) reported yesterday that there was no border crossing.
At the same time the Israeli army carried out new deadly bombardments yesterday and in the early hours of today in the Gaza Strip, especially in the sector where Rafah is located.
“We are not terrorists,” Deir al-Bala resident Robi al-Hout, whose house was reduced to rubble by Israeli shelling, told AFP.
Many foreign capitals, including Washington, are expressing concern amid preparations for a full-scale ground offensive in Rafah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been announcing for weeks now that there will be an operation in this city, at the southern end of the Palestinian enclave, on the closed border with Egypt, where one and a half million people have taken refuge, as he characterizes it as the “last” stronghold of the Palestinian Islamist movement.
“Israel is moving forward with the operation to target Hamas in Rafah,” government spokesman David Menser said yesterday.
“Two reserve brigades have been mobilized for operations” in the Gaza Strip, he added, noting that “in Rafah (there remain) four (Hamas) battalions” targeted by the army.
According to Egyptian officials cited earlier this week by the Wall Street Journal, Israel is preparing to move civilians from Rafah to nearby Khan Younis mainly, where it plans to set up shelters, food distribution centers and field hospitals.
“Crime”
The hasty evacuation of civilians is expected to last two to three weeks and be carried out in coordination with the US, Egypt and other Arab countries such as the United Arab Emirates, while the ground operation it will last at least six weeksalways according to the Journal’s sources.
Such a business “it would be a crime”the director of the government’s press office in Gaza, Ismail al-Thawabta, told AFP, assuring that the central Gaza Strip and Khan Younis “can absolutely not accept” evacuees from Rafah.
Satellite photos released by Maxar Technologies and broadcast by AFP show recently installed tents.
The war broke out on October 7, when Hamas’s military arm launched an unprecedented raid from the Gaza Strip into southern parts of the Israeli territory, killing 1,170 people, most of them civilians, according to a French tally. Agency based on official Israeli data.
Another 250-plus people were kidnapped, of whom 129 remain hostages in the Palestinian enclave – however at least 34 of them are believed to have been killed, according to Israeli sources.
In retaliation, Israel has vowed to wipe out Hamas, which it labels a “terrorist” organization, as do the US and the EU.
The large-scale Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip has claimed the lives of 34,262 people, the vast majority of them civilians, according to the Hamas Health Ministry.
The day before Tuesday, the UN called for an international investigation into the mass graves found inside the two main hospitals of these cities, Shifa in Gaza and Nasser in Khan Younis, underlining the need to end the current atmosphere of “impunity”.
The White House has demanded “answers” and a “transparent” investigation from the Israeli government, Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, said yesterday.
Civil protection announced that since Saturday it has proceeded to exhume 340 bodies of people killed and buried by Israeli forces in mass graves inside Nasser Hospital.
The Israeli military spoke of “non-existent” accusations, then said it had exhumed and then reburied bodies in search of hostages.
Video
Among the declared goals of the war in the Gaza Strip is the return of the hostages to their homes. Relatives and friends of hostages very often participate in various forms of events to put pressure on the Israeli government to take steps to secure their release.
Hamas released a video yesterday via Telegram, in which poses as a hostage, alone in front of the camera, states that his name is Herce Goldberg Pauline, he is 23 years old and he was kidnapped at the Nova music festival.
He accuses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his government of “abandoning” the hostages.
Last night in Jerusalem, dozens of protesters gathered in front of Mr Netanyahu’s residence, holding placards reading slogans such as “Bring them home”. The crowd booed National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who tried to avoid the protesters.
At the diplomatic level, Israel yesterday thanked its main ally, the US, for the military aid package it will deliver. This aid, worth 13 billion dollars, is expected to allow in particular to strengthen and resupply its anti-missile shield, the “Iron Dome”, deployed on its borders, among other things.
At a time when the population of Gaza is facing the risk of starvation, according to the UN, Joe Biden yesterday approved a relevant law, which also includes provisions for the granting of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, calling on Israel to guarantee that “all this aid will reach the Palestinians without delay.”
