Israel now wants to expand military action against the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip after two weeks of bombardment. “We are increasing the attacks and minimizing the danger,” Israeli media quoted army spokesman Daniel Hagari as saying on Saturday. “We must enter the next phase of the war under the best conditions.” It is unclear whether this refers to the expected ground offensive.
According to its own statements, the Israeli military killed more terrorists from the Islamist Hamas in bombing raids in the Gaza Strip. As the army announced on Telegram on Sunday morning, a member of the Hamas assault unit “Nuchba” (German: Elite) was among those killed in the attacks the day before. “Nukhba” terrorists were among the forces that led the incursion into Israel on October 7. Since the terrorist attack, more than 1,400 people have died in Israel. Since then, Israel’s air force has been carrying out massive bombing raids in the Gaza Strip.
In view of the threat of escalation in the conflict, the Pentagon ordered the deployment of additional weapons systems to the eastern Mediterranean. Meanwhile, Israel is also increasingly taking action against militant Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. On Sunday night, the army said it attacked a “terror cell” in a mosque in the Jenin refugee camp ahead of a planned attack.
Israel bombs “terror cell” in mosque
The Al-Ansar Mosque was home to an underground “terror complex” run by the Islamist Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who were planning another terrorist attack, the Israeli military said on Telegram. According to unconfirmed media reports, two Palestinians were killed in the attack. There have also been violent incidents on Israel’s border with Lebanon. Israel’s army said it attacked “terror cells” in southern Lebanon after renewed shelling from Lebanon. The pro-Iranian Shiite militia Hezbollah operates in Lebanon. Israel’s Defense Minister Joav Galant said on Saturday that they had “decided to take part in the fighting,” according to his office.
After talks with US President Joe Biden about the “recent escalations by Iran and its proxies” throughout the Middle East region, he ordered the deployment of additional weapons systems, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced in a statement. He ordered the deployment of a battery of the state-of-the-art missile defense system THAAD as well as units of the powerful Patriot air defense system in the region. The USA had previously deployed several warships and air force squadrons to the region as a deterrent.
They served as a deterrent, to increase the protection of US forces in the region and to support the defense of Israel, it said. Meanwhile, a further intensification of attacks is imminent in the Gaza Strip: “We will enter the Gaza Strip for an operational, professional mission: to destroy Hamas activists and the infrastructure, announced Israel’s army chief Herzi Halevi.
Since the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas that killed 1,400 people in Israel and kidnapped more than 200 people as hostages in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s army has bombed hundreds of targets in the Gaza Strip on the Mediterranean. Most of those killed in the Hamas attack in Israel were civilians, according to official figures. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, 4,385 Palestinians have died there so far, 62 percent of them children and women. Over 1,000 people are missing.
UN on the situation in the Gaza Strip: The world must do more
Despite the first delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip, the UN humanitarian organizations are warning that the situation there is likely to further deteriorate. They called for a ceasefire and unhindered access for humanitarian aid workers and supplies on Saturday evening. The number of deaths could rise sharply due to disease outbreaks and a lack of care. The Gaza Strip had already been in a desperate situation. “Now the situation is catastrophic. The world must do more.”
On Saturday, after lengthy negotiations, 20 trucks carrying aid supplies were allowed into the Gaza Strip from Egypt for the first time. On the same day, several heads of state and government from the Middle East region as well as representatives of the UN and Western countries met at a “summit for peace” in the Egyptian capital Cairo, but there was no hope of relaxation – also because Israel was not invited. Israel’s attacks were sharply criticized, but so was Hamas’ terror.
Hope for the release of more hostages
Following the release of two US hostages from Hamas captivity, there is cautious hope that more hostages will be released. This is “a small spark of hope for others too,” said Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) after the Middle East summit in Cairo. The hostages, including Germans, were the central issue. Qatar, which brokered the release of the first two hostages, expressed optimism. “We are on a path that will very soon lead to the release of the hostages, especially the civilians,” said Majid al-Ansari, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, to “Welt am Sonntag”. According to a spokesman, Hamas does not want to negotiate the release of Israeli soldiers until after the war.
Meanwhile, according to the Israeli military, more ultra-Orthodox Jews want to serve in the army. Inquiries from this group are increasing in the Gaza war, army spokesman Hagari said on Saturday. Many strictly religious men usually try to avoid military service, which causes great anger in other segments of the population. In the past few days, the army has received more than 2,000 inquiries from ultra-Orthodox people. The military says it plans to begin calling up volunteers from Monday.
Türkiye and Egypt want the violence to end
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan phoned Hamas chief Ismail Haniya and discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip. As the Turkish government’s press service announced on Platform X on Saturday, Erdogan emphasized that Turkey would continue to work for a ceasefire in the region as soon as possible.
Egypt continues to advocate a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians after the summit in Cairo. An “independent Palestinian state” must emerge in a short time if the current crisis has led to a “new political spirit,” the Egyptian presidential office said on Saturday. “The Palestinians must enjoy all the rights that other people enjoy” – above all a state that embodies their identity.
That will be important on Sunday
A large demonstration in solidarity with Israel is planned in Berlin. Meanwhile, Israel continues to prepare a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. Even after the first aid supplies arrived, the situation of the people in the area sealed off by Israel is catastrophic and, according to the United Nations, threatens to deteriorate further.
