Despite international calls for a ceasefire and massive civilian casualties in the besieged Palestinian territory, Israel announced a new escalation of its war against Hamas, with new bombings targeting the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, December 26. UN “deep concern” The continuation of these bombings in the central Gaza Strip, and urged Israeli forces to take all possible measures to protect civilians.
For his part, the chief of staff of the Israeli army, Herzi Halevi, reiterated that the war “It will last[it] A few more months »Emphasize that “The aims of this war [la destruction du Hamas, pour Israël] Not easily attainable. Earlier in the day, Benjamin Netanyahu said the same thing: “We will not stop, (…) We will intensify the struggle in the coming days. It will be a long battle. »
On Tuesday morning, smoke billowed after shelling of the enclave's largest city south of Khan Younes, where Israel said it would now focus the bulk of its offensive and shelter many displaced people who had fled the north. Bombings also took place above the neighboring town of Rafah on the Egyptian border, where tens of thousands of displaced people have been crammed into makeshift camps.
In response to the intensification of Israeli bombardment in the center and south of the Gaza Strip, the spokesman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Seif Magango, warned again on Tuesday in a press release: ” We are deeply concerned about the continued bombing of central Gaza by Israeli forces. (…) All attacks must respect the principles of international humanitarian law, including discrimination [entre civils et militaires], proportionality and precaution. »
A new telecommunications outage
Especially in the last few days there has been a loss of life in the enclave area. In the past day alone, the Israeli military said it struck more than 100 Hamas targets, including tunnel entrances and military bases used to attack soldiers, including Jabalia and Khan Younis in the north. He posted pictures of his soldiers with tanks, advancing on foot among the dusty ruins, while the footage played.
For its part, the Health Ministry of the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip announced that thirty bodies of victims of the bombings had been taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in twenty-four hours, killing 241 people. In its report, it said 20,915 people – mostly women, adolescents and children – had been killed and nearly 55,000 wounded in Israeli military operations in Gaza.
On Tuesday, the Israeli army announced through the Red Cross that it had returned to local authorities the bodies of 80 Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip during the fighting. According to sources in the enclave's health ministry, the bodies were retrieved from hospital morgues and mass graves by the Israeli army in recent days and transported to Israel.
At midday, Palestinian telecommunications company Baltel announced new telecommunications cuts in the enclave for the fourth time since the war began. “Due to the continuation of the occupation”, in a press release. He referred to his technical teams “Work[ai]Start restoring services despite dangerous conditions on ground”.
The entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, for its part, the UN Despite a vote in the Security Council on Friday, the resolution calling for its issuance did not gain significant traction. “immediately” And “largely”.
Meanwhile, in Israel, pressure to release the hostages continues. Monday, Mr Netanyahu shouted during a speech to parliament By chanting families “Now, now!” ». “What if it was your son?” », “Eighty days, every minute is hell”Can read on banners.
US attack in Iraq
Beyond Gaza, there are still fears of an escalation of the conflict, with almost daily firefights between Hezbollah and the Israeli military on the border between Lebanon and Israel, and attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels against shipping in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea. . Attacks by pro-Iranian groups against US troops in Iraq and Syria have increased.
On Tuesday, the United States announced airstrikes against three bases in Iraq used by pro-Iranian groups. The Iraqi government condemned a “hostile acts” which killed “Members” Security forces and wounded “Eighteen people including civilians”. According to security sources, at least one member of the pro-Iran Iraqi faction was killed and twenty-four wounded.
Iran accused Israel of killing one of its senior officials in a missile strike in Syria on Monday. The Revolutionary Guards identified this Brigadier General Razi Mousavi “Logistics Manager of the Axis of Resistance” For Israel, which includes Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis. “We consider this massacre a blatant attack that crossed the border”, Hezbollah replied. The Israeli military declined to comment. Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi has issued a warning to Israel “This crime must surely pay”.
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