The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have issued new flyers in central Gaza neighbourhoods, urging Palestinians to evacuate to the nearby city of Deir al-Balah. The IDF specified that the neighbourhoods of Al-Amal, Al-Sdera, Al-Basateen, Al-Farouq, and Ain Jalout are currently considered dangerous war zones.
Despite the IDF's recommendation, United Nations officials have previously stated that there is no safe refuge for civilians in Gaza. Many displaced residents have already fled to Deir al-Balah. Reports from Gazans indicate dismal living conditions there, contrary to the Israeli military's suggestion of safety.
Regarding the ongoing conflict, the IDF spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, announced the completion of the dismantling of Hamas's command structure in northern Gaza. Hagari reported that approximately 8,000 Hamas militants had been killed in that region, although this figure was unable to be independently verified by the Telegraph.
The IDF has now shifted its focus to dismantling Hamas in central and southern Gaza, while simultaneously reinforcing defences along the Israel-Gaza border fence. This redirection comes after Israel had already been reducing its military operations in northern Gaza, concentrating its offensive efforts primarily in the southern territories where most of Gaza's population resides.
Here are the key updates:
1. Shift of Focus: IDF concludes the dismantling of Hamas' command structure in northern Gaza and shifts attention to central and southern areas. Around 8,000 Hamas militants were reportedly killed in the northern region, according to IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari.
2. Continued Bombardment: Gaza's Hamas-controlled health ministry reported at least 122 casualties, with 265 people injured due to Israeli airstrikes over 24 hours. Videos from Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital depicted medical staff urgently treating severely wounded victims.
3. Khan Younis Strike: An Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis resulted in seven deaths, including five children, with 45 others injured. All victims belonged to the same family, according to Palestinian health officials. Nasser Hospital in Gaza received the wounded, confirming casualties and injuries.
4. The stern remarks of an Iranian commander: As Western countries promise to confront the new wave of attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, Iran is engaged in an "all-out battle" with an "enemy" actor.
5. Post-war plans for Gaza: The Palestine Liberation Organisation has rejected ideas Israel has proposed for Gaza's future, while the Israeli government is divided over its post-war vision. A peace deal that the PLO signed in 1993 said that "the Palestinian people, not Israel," shall choose the fate of the Gaza Strip and led to the creation of the Palestinian Authority.
6. Netanyahu says war will continue: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country will not back down from its offensive against Hamas until it has achieved three main objectives: "destroying Hamas, freeing our hostages, and guaranteeing that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel."
7. Hezbollah strikes: Hezbollah struck an Israeli observation station on the Israel-Lebanon border on Saturday, launching 62 missiles in what it described as a "initial response" to the death of a top Hamas commander in Beirut. This development has raised fears of a larger confrontation. In northern Israel, more than a hundred areas received red warnings alerting people to the possibility of rocket fire and shrapnel. Inflaming tensions throughout the Middle East, the potent Lebanese paramilitary group is one of numerous Iranian proxy groups at work.
8. Blinken tour: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Istanbul to discuss the conflict and humanitarian situation in Gaza. He set out for Greece on Saturday to finish the second leg of his multi-country tour of the region. The main goal of Blinken's visit is to try to figure out how to stop the Middle East from becoming more confrontational, especially with Hezbollah and the Houthis.
9. Israeli civilian killed in West Bank shooting attack: An Israeli citizen was killed in a gunshot incident in the West Bank, the army announced on Sunday. The most recent round of fatal violence in the occupied territories took place close to the British police intersection, north of Ramallah. The attacker responsible for the horrific occurrence is presently being sought for by the authorities.
10. Six Palestinians and Israeli police officers killed in West Bank clashes: Six Palestinians and one Israeli police officer were killed in the West Bank incident. Palestinian witnesses stated that the incident happened during an Israeli withdrawal, but Israeli forces targeted Palestinian terrorists in Jenin, resulting in deaths. The incident also caused injuries to others and claimed the lives of four brothers. The escalation followed heightened tensions in the region, exacerbated by prior unrest and subsequent retaliatory actions between Israeli forces and Hamas in Gaza. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement claimed responsibility for the attack on the Israeli security forces in Jenin.
11. ‘Arbitrary' Israeli inspections slowing aid into Gaza, US senators say: US senators Van Hollen and Merkley reported extensive delays at Egypt’s Rafah border crossing, where hundreds of aid-carrying trucks queue for weeks to enter Gaza. They highlighted Israel's inspections causing a backlog, rejecting critical items such as medical kits and water testing equipment. The senators criticized the system, calling it "totally broken," as it impedes vital humanitarian aid. Despite international calls for increased deliveries, the rate of trucks entering Gaza remains far below pre-war levels, averaging around 120 trucks daily compared to the previous 500.
12. Two journalists reportedly killed in Israeli strike: The Health Ministry in Gaza, under Hamas authority, reported on Sunday that two journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Palestinian territory. Mustafa Thuria, a video stringer for the AFP news agency, and journalist Hamza Wael Dahdouh the eldest son of Al Jazeera's Gaza bureau chief, Wael Dahdouh, lost their lives while travelling in a car, as confirmed by the ministry and medical personnel.
13. Concerns Rise in the US as Israel Considers Expanding Conflict to Lebanon: There is growing apprehension among US officials that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might perceive widening the conflict into Lebanon as crucial for his political survival in the face of internal criticism. Netanyahu's approval ratings have declined since the onset of the war, with his government facing backlash for its inability to prevent Hamas's Oct 7 attack. Several high-ranking Israeli leaders have persistently expressed the necessity of removing Hezbollah from the Israel-Lebanon border.
14. 113 Palestinians killed in 24 hours: The health ministry in Gaza claimed in a statement on Sunday that at least 113 Palestinians had died and 250 more had been injured as a result of Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip during the previous 24 hours, according to Reuters.
According to the statement, Sunday's total takes the total number of Palestinian deaths in Gaza to 22,835 dead and 58,416 wounded since October 7.
(With agency inputs)
Image Source: X/CNN
© Copyright 2023. All Rights Reserved Powered by Vygr Media.
