The new Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz sees his country “in the middle of a third world war” against Iran. “This enemy recalls the darkest periods in human history, and we are determined to achieve our goal of overthrowing Hamas,” Katz said at the inauguration of his predecessor Eli Cohen, as reported by the Israeli news site ynet and the newspaper ” Times of Israel” reported.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Education reported that more than 4,000 students have been killed in the Gaza Strip so far. The number of Gaza residents killed in Israeli attacks on the Islamist Hamas has now risen to more than 22,000, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority.
The war in Gaza has now lasted almost three months. The trigger was the cruel terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organizations on October 7th. They murdered more than 1,200 people. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive. The goal is the complete destruction of Hamas.
In view of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the sealed-off coastal area and the high number of civilian casualties, Israel has recently come under increasing international criticism.
Katz: Standing on the front lines for the whole world
“This is World War III with today’s capabilities, and we are on the front lines for the entire world,” Katz continued. Iran’s leadership had praised Hamas’ major attack, but firmly rejected any direct involvement. Since the 1979 revolution, Israel has been the declared archenemy of the Islamic Republic. Since the 1990s, Tehran has expanded its political and military ties in the region to create an “axis of resistance” against Israel with the support of Shiite militias. Iran also maintains good relations with Hamas. The conflict between the enemy countries has rarely been as tense as it is now.
Israel accuses Tehran of secretly seeking to build nuclear weapons and sees its existence threatened as a result. Iran claims that it only uses its nuclear program for civilian purposes.
Netanyahu sees Hamas weakened in hostage negotiations
According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas has softened its position in the negotiations on a new possible hostage deal. Efforts to reach a new agreement continue, the prime minister told representatives of the hostages’ relatives, according to his office. Contacts during the talks were not broken off, he emphasized. “There was an ultimatum from Hamas, now it has been weakened.” Hamas initially did not comment on this.
The terrorist organization has recently emphasized several times that it rejects any negotiations until a ceasefire in the Gaza war comes into force.
With the mediation of Qatar, Egypt and the USA, Israel and the Islamist Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in the Gaza war lasting several days at the end of November. During this time, hostages in the Gaza Strip were released from the hands of their captors. At the same time, Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli prisons. According to Israeli information, almost 130 hostages are currently being held in the Gaza Strip.
Hezbollah reports death of Hamas leader
With the death of a Hamas leader in Beirut, concerns are growing that in the midst of the Gaza war, Israel’s conflict with the Lebanese Hezbollah could also escalate. The deputy head of the political bureau of the Islamist Hamas, Saleh al-Aruri, died in an explosion in Lebanon’s capital, the German Press Agency learned from Hezbollah militia circles after the explosion.
The explosion occurred outside a Hamas office and, according to police sources, in a southern district of Beirut where Hezbollah has a strong presence. The exact reasons behind the explosion initially remained unclear. However, suspicions quickly arose that it could be a targeted killing – possibly by Israel’s army or on Israel’s behalf. Israel’s military did not comment on the reports when asked.
Meanwhile, Lebanese military expert and former general Chalil Hilo described the situation as “very dangerous.” Hezbollah will not tolerate an attack in its stronghold in Beirut. Al-Aruri, whom Israel saw as the mastermind of attacks in the West Bank, had long been considered a possible target for an attack. He is said to have been responsible for the activities of the Hamas military wing in the West Bank. Israel and Hamas exchanged threats in the summer – even before their ongoing war began.
Hamas: Gaza death toll rises
The number of Gazans killed in Israeli attacks on the Islamist group Hamas has risen to 22,185, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority. A further 57,035 people have been injured since the start of the war, the authority said. They are mostly civilians. The numbers cannot currently be verified.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Education based in Ramallah, at least 4,119 students have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began. In addition, 221 teachers and administrators were killed in the Gaza Strip, the ministry said, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Accordingly, 278 public and 65 UN schools were damaged or destroyed in attacks.
According to the United Nations, UN facilities serve as emergency shelter for 1.4 million of the total 1.9 million internally displaced people in the Gaza Strip. There have been repeated reports of deaths and injuries in Israeli attacks on school buildings. The Israeli army accuses the Islamist Hamas of systematically using schools, mosques and hospitals in the Gaza Strip for military purposes. Hamas rejects this.
Türkiye: Israeli secret service planned actions
Turkey has accused the Israeli secret service Mossad of planning actions against foreigners registered in Turkey. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on X (formerly Twitter) that 33 people were arrested in this context. It was not clear whether the suspects were arrested or arrested. There was initially no reaction from Israel to the allegations.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened Israel at the beginning of December if members of the Islamist Hamas were persecuted in his country. Turkey repeatedly verbally attacks Israel for its actions in the Gaza war. The Turkish government, for its part, maintains ties to Hamas, and officials are also said to be in the country. Hamas is considered a terrorist organization in Europe and the USA, but not in Turkey.
Israel’s army attacks targets in Lebanon again
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it was again attacking targets belonging to the Shiite militia Hezbollah in response to rocket fire from Lebanon. The Israeli army announced on Tuesday that targets in the area of the southern Lebanese town of Jarun were fired upon. Hezbollah said it had fired on Israeli units near the northern Israeli village of Sarit. There was another air alert in northern Israel this morning.
Initially nothing was known about possible victims on both sides of the border. According to Hezbollah, 140 of its fighters have died in Lebanon so far. The Lebanese Civil Defense counted at least twelve additional civilian deaths. In Israel, nine soldiers and two civilians were killed by shelling from Lebanon.
Rocket alarm on Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip
After more than 40 hours without shelling, there was another rocket alarm in Israeli border towns near the Gaza Strip. In the evening, sirens wailed across the country, Israel’s army reported. There are no reports of injuries so far.
USA withdraws aircraft carriers from the Mediterranean
After a three-month special mission in the Eastern Mediterranean, the USA is withdrawing the aircraft carrier “USS Gerald R. Ford”. The ship and its associated group will return to their home port in Norfolk, Virginia, in the coming days to prepare for future operations, the US Navy said. However, the US military will maintain extensive capabilities in the Mediterranean and throughout the Middle East. These included the aircraft carrier “USS Dwight D. Eisenhower”, which was sent to the Persian Gulf as a deterrent.
Pro-Iranian militias attack US targets in Iraq and Syria
Pro-Iranian militias again attacked US military targets in Iraq and Syria. On Tuesday, the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” claimed, among other things, a drone attack on US troops near the airport in Erbil in northern Iraq. According to Iraq’s General Directorate of Counterterrorism, the drone was shot down. According to local media, it was the third attack on US forces in Erbil since Saturday. Since the beginning of the Gaza war, pro-Iranian militias have increasingly attacked US bases in Iraq and Syria.
