GAZA: The Israeli raids continue targeting several sites in the territory. During the last hour different sites in the Gaza Strip were bombarded by the Israeli airstrikes.
That includes a residential house in Rafah district [in the south of Gaza].
This city, which contains hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been widely bombarded during the last couple of hours. The majority of Palestinians have followed the orders of the Israeli occupation forces, especially those who are residing in the northern and central areas of the Gaza Strip, to evacuate to the southern areas of the territory.
However, the current situation on the ground in the southern areas considered to be really devastating people here are so desperate that they might lose their life and the moment. The army says the video shows Israeli forces targeting Hamas anti-tank positions and buildings used as meeting points.
“Starting in the early evening last night, the [Israeli military], led by combined combat teams of armoured, engineering and infantry forces, is operating on the ground in the northern Gaza Strip,” the post said. The announcement comes more than 24 hours after entering the Palestinian territory as the military expanded its war on Hamas.
About 360,000 reservists have been summoned. They will supplement an active military force of more than 150,000, giving Israel half a million men and women in uniform. “This war has stages and today we are moving to the next stage. Our forces are currently operating on the ground in the Gaza Strip,” Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi said in a televised message. Israel said troops sent in on Friday night were still in the field whereas previously it made only brief sorties.
Earlier, we reported Israeli Defence Minister Gallant also acknowledging a “new phase” in the war. “We attacked above the ground and below ground, we attacked terror operatives of all ranks, everywhere.” Though there is no indication as yet of a full-scale ground invasion, Israel is telling hundreds of thousands of people to move away from Gaza’s north.
Israel says it plans to completely “eradicate” Hamas in the war. It’s an endgame that likely spells “catastrophe” without any “good outcome”, according to Harlan Ullman, a senior adviser at the US-based Atlantic Council. He says the Hamas attack gave Israel “no option” but to “go in heavy into Gaza”. “And once that happens, I don’t see any way out,” Ullman told Al Jazeera. “Now possibly, and I hope the United States is doing this – by stitching together some kind of diplomatic initiative with Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar – maybe after imposing initial ground strikes there can be some kind of a ceasefire or a truce.
“But without that, this is just going to get worse because Israel has got to go all the way through Gaza to achieve its aims of getting rid of Hamas – and the Gazans have no place to go.” Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obaida says Israeli air raids and shelling have killed 50 captives. The “price” of returning all the captives in Gaza is the release of all Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons – estimated at about 6,600 people. “If the enemy wants to resolve this issue, we are ready,” he said.
“If the enemy wants to close this file of detainees in one go, we are ready for it. If it wants to do it step-by-step, we are ready for that, too.” Some 229 hostages are being held in the Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli army. In the centre of Ramallah, there is yet another protest and another vigil taking place.
This is now a nightly event. Not only here in Ramallah, but right across the occupied West Bank. We see protests every night in Nablus, in Hebron, in Jenin for example. We are expecting to see much more of this in the hours ahead. There were at least 25 people arrested last night. That brings the number of arrests and detention since October 7 to approximately 1,550. It takes the total number of Palestinians in Israeli jails in so-called administrative detention – that’s being held without being charged – to about 6,600 Palestinians.
Hamas official Ghazi Hamad has called for the immediate implementation of the UN General Assembly decision to allow humanitarian relief into Gaza, warning of a disaster as Israel widens its air and ground attacks.
“We consider the decision a victory for our Palestinian people, and we demand this aid piled up on the Egyptian side be quickly sent and distributed to all areas and hospitals in Gaza Strip,” Hamad said in a news conference in Beirut. The General Assembly on Friday overwhelmingly called for an immediate humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas and demanded aid access to the besieged Gaza Strip and protection of civilians. — Agencies
