Israel and the US increasingly distant on the war in Gaza. As confirmed by the visit of American National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan to Tel Aviv after Biden’s harsh criticism of Netanyahu in recent days. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reiterated to Sullivan that “more than a few months will be needed to dismantle an organization built for years for terrorist purposes and liberate the Strip. It will be a long war that we will win in the end.” Biden’s envoy responded that the timing of the conflict makes a “transition to the next lower intensity phase” necessary within “weeks and not months”. Then there are the words of Israeli President Isaac Herzog in an interview with the Associated Press: “I would urge us not to simply talk about a two-state solution. Why? Because there is an emotional chapter here that needs to be addressed. The “My nation is in mourning. My nation is traumatized.” In the Strip, intense fighting continues in the north and south. The Israeli army has distributed leaflets in Arabic in the Palestinian enclave promising compensation to anyone who provides information useful for locating four senior leaders of Hamas: obviously the leader Yahya Sinwar (400 thousand dollars), his brother Muhammad Sinwar (300 thousand), the military commander of Khan Yunis Rafa Salameh (200 thousand dollars) and Mohammed Deif, commander of the military wing of Hamas , the Qassam Brigades (‘just’ 100 thousand dollars).
05:57
Gaza, another Israeli soldier dead. The toll rises to 117
The Israeli army announced today that a soldier died yesterday fighting in the Gaza Strip, bringing the toll of soldiers killed in the ground offensive against Hamas to 117. The latest victim is 19-year-old Sergeant Oz Shmuel Aradi, who died in action in the south of the Palestinian enclave of Strip. Four other reservist soldiers were seriously injured in yesterday’s clashes in the Strip, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
05:50
The identity of the dead hostage: he is 28-year-old Elia Toledano
The identity of the hostage recovered lifeless by the Israeli special forces: he is Elia Toledano, 28 years old, detained in the Gaza Strip since the tragic 7 October. An army press release certifies this. Elia Toledano was among the audience at the rave that turned into a massacre after the attack by Hamas militants.
05:34
Israeli special forces have recovered the body of a hostage held by Hamas in Gaza
The news in a military statement.
05:17
Netanyahu: the Red Cross ‘fulfils its mission’ on the hostages
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met yesterday with the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, asking that the organization “fulfil its mission” to reach the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since 7 October and guarantee the their well-being. The Israeli media reported it. In a part of the meeting that appeared on TV, Netanyahu pressed Spoljaric, telling her that the Red Cross has “every right to exert public pressure on Hamas” to gain access to the Israeli hostages. “It won’t work, because the more public pressure we would exert, the more they would close the door”, replies the president of the ICRC. Spoljaric also met with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen yesterday. Regarding the Israeli hostages, “every day that passes is another failure for the Red Cross”, accused Cohen.
04:15
Gaza, Pfa: 55 Palestinian footballers killed since the start of the war. 30 athletes from other sports died
The Palestine Football Federation (PFA) says it has documented the killing of 85 Palestinian athletes since the start of the war in Gaza, including 55 football players and 30 from other sports. This was reported by the Wafa news agency. According to the PFA, the Israeli army “targeted Palestinian athletes and sports facilities, in particular football players and club presidents, administrators, referees and others.” The Palestinian Football Federation’s report specifies that 18 children were among its players killed. According to the PFA, Israeli bombings led to the destruction of nine sports facilities: four in the West Bank and five in the Gaza Strip. The report states that Israel arrested three athletes in the West Bank, while in the Strip the number “is infinite in light of the missing people.”
03:43
Hamas: our tunnels built to resist even flooding
Hamas built its tunnels to resist possible attempts to pump water into them, Palestinian Islamist group spokesman Osama Hamdan was quoted as saying by Arab media. Speaking at a press conference in Beirut, Hamdan commented on reports of potential flooding of underground passages by Israeli forces inside the Gaza Strip. “The tunnels – he assured – were built by well-trained and educated engineers who considered all possible attacks by the occupation, including pumping water. The tunnels are an integral part of the resistance and all the consequences and attacks expected have been taken into consideration.” Yesterday the Israeli public television Kan reported that the Israeli army made a first attempt to flood a Hamas military tunnel in the northern sector of the Gaza Strip with water taken from the sea.
00:52
USA, White House: Hamas leader Sinwar’s days are numbered
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s days are “numbered”. A White House official said so. “It doesn’t matter how long it takes, but Sinwar’s justice will be done” added the senior US administration official, speaking to a small group of journalists about the meetings held by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Israel. The official recalled that Yahya Sinwar, the military leader of Hamas, has “American blood on his hands” and “still holds American hostages.”
2023-12-15 05:52:42
#Israel #Hamas #news #todays #war
