Israel prepares for next stage of war
Leaders plead for ceasefire to end civilian suffering
Israeli troops and tanks briefly raided northern Gaza, engaging with Hamas fighters and targeting anti-tank weapons in order to “prepare the battlefield” before an expected ground invasion.
The third Israeli raid since the war began came after more than two weeks of devastating airstrikes that have left thousands dead, and more than a million displaced from their homes, in the small, denselypopulated territory.
Arab leaders made a joint plea yesterday for a ceasefire to end civilian suffering and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, where Israel has imposed a suffocating siege ever since Hamas’ rampage and hostage-taking in southern Israel ignited the war.
Residents are running out of food, water and medicine, and UN workers have barely any fuel left to support relief missions.
In recent days, Israel has let more than 70 trucks with aid enter from Egypt.
The rising death toll in Gaza is unprecedented in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Health Ministry in Hamasruled Gaza said yesterday more than 7000 Palestinians had died in the fighting, a figure that could not be independently verified.
Even greater loss of life could come if Israel launches a ground offensive aimed at crushing Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007.
More than 1400 people in Israel, mostly civilians, were slain during the initial Hamas attack, according to the Israeli government.
The Israeli military said an airstrike killed one of two masterminds of the October 7 massacre, Shadi Barud, the head of Hamas’ intelligence unit. The military says it only strikes militant targets and accuses Hamas of operating among civilians in an attempt to protect its fighters.
Palestinian militants have also fired thousands of rockets into Israel since the war began.
The Hamas’ military wing said Israeli bombardment has killed about
50 of the at least 224 hostages the militants abducted during its October
7 assault. There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials who have denied previous, similar claims.
Family members and Jewish groups are trying to keep the spotlight on the hostages’ plight. In Paris, 30 empty baby strollers were displayed in front of the Eiffel Tower — each with a photo of one of the children taken from Israel. A day earlier, blindfolded teddy bears with photos of the abducted children were placed in front of a fountain in Tel Aviv.
A warning by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees over depleting fuel supplies raised alarm that the humanitarian crisis could quickly worsen. Israel is still barring deliveries of fuel — needed to power generators — saying it believes Hamas will take it for military use.
About 1.4 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have fled their homes, with nearly half of them crowding into UN shelters. Hundreds of thousands remain in northern Gaza, despite Israel ordering them to evacuate to the south and saying that those who remain might be considered “accomplices” of Hamas.
Nine Arab countries — including nations that have signed peace or normalisation deals with Israel — issued a joint statement yesterday calling for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the targeting and death of civilians.
“The right to self defence by the United Nations Charter does not justify blatant violations of humanitarian and international law,” said the statement, signed by Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Morocco.
Yesterday the Palestinian ambassador pleaded at an emotional UN meeting to “stop the bombs and save lives”.
But Israel’s envoy was adamant, declaring again, “we will not rest until Hamas is obliterated”.
At the assembly’s resumed emergency special session on Israeli actions in the Palestinian territories, speaker after speaker backed the Arab resolution’s ceasefire call — except for Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan, who told the 193-member world body, “a ceasefire means giving Hamas time to rearm itself, so they can massacre us again”.