Despite calls for a humanitarian ceasefire, Israel is sticking to its plans for a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip against the Islamist Hamas. “We are preparing for a ground attack. I will not say when, how and how many,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised speech that evening.

“All Hamas members are doomed – above ground, underground, in Gaza and outside Gaza.” Meanwhile, France’s leadership promised medical help to people suffering from thirst and hunger in the densely populated coastal strip.

France wants to deliver medical aid

French planes carrying medical supplies are set to land in Egypt from today, President Emmanuel Macron announced after a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo. The United Nations refugee agency for the Palestinians, UNRWA, had previously warned of an imminent end to all humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said hospitals in the coastal area had already had to close due to a lack of fuel. Israel continues to block the delivery of fuel to the area because it could strengthen Hamas and there are fears of misuse for terrorist purposes. The Islamist organization itself has large reserves of fuel, but withholds it from its own people.

Netanyahu: Israel is fighting for its existence

Meanwhile, the war between Hamas and Israel continues relentlessly. Members of Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the USA and the EU, said they fired two long-range rockets towards Haifa in the north and Eilat in the south of Israel. Rocket alarms were triggered in places south of Haifa, the Israeli army said. According to the military, there was also a rocket alarm again in the greater area of ​​the Israeli coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv.

Israel is in the middle of a “battle for its existence,” said Netanyahu. Thousands of terrorists have already been killed since the Islamist Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians on October 7th and this is “just the beginning.”

Military spokesman Daniel Hagari said in the evening that the Israeli Air Force was continuing to attack targets in the Gaza Strip in preparation for a ground offensive. “Underground terrorist infrastructure” was also hit. “Every strike improves our situation for the next phases,” Hagari said. An extensive tunnel system runs under the densely populated coastal strip, in which hostages are believed to have been kidnapped by Hamas during its major attack on Israel.

Israeli army: Limited tank advance in the Gaza Strip

The Israeli military once again undertook a limited tank advance in the north of the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the Islamist Hamas. The army said that “numerous terrorists, terrorist infrastructure and launch pads for anti-tank missiles” were tracked down and attacked during the night.

After the advance was over, the soldiers left the area again. It was part of the preparations “for the next phases of the fight,” it said.

Report: Number of Palestinians killed rises to 6,500

The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes against Islamist Hamas attackers in the Gaza Strip has risen to 6,547, according to the local health authority.

As the UN emergency relief office Ocha announced this morning, citing the Hamas-controlled authority, 68 percent of the fatalities were said to be children and women. Around 1,600 people in Gaza are considered missing. These figures cannot be independently verified.

UN Security Council remains divided

The UN Security Council is currently unable to agree on a resolution with a humanitarian focus in the Gaza war. Both a draft from the USA and a draft resolution from Russia failed on Wednesday before the most powerful UN body. The US text, which, among other things, emphasized Israel’s right to self-defense and called for a humanitarian ceasefire, was blocked by vetoes from Russia and China. The Russian proposal, which, among other things, called for a ceasefire, received only four yes votes in the committee, which includes 15 states.

Egypt’s President Al-Sisi warned against an expansion of the war. “We see with great concern that the cycle of violence may be extended to other parties in the region,” Al-Sisi said. The stated goal of the war is to eliminate Hamas and other armed groups in the Gaza Strip. “The invasion of the Gaza Strip can result in a lot of civilian casualties,” he warned – which is why it must be prevented. It is important to use the time to free hostages.

Violence continues on Israel’s northern border and in the West Bank

Meanwhile, there was renewed mutual shelling on the border between Israel and Lebanon. And the violence also continues in the West Bank: According to Palestinian information, more than 100 people are said to have died in confrontations there since the Hamas terrorist attack.

US President Biden expressed concern about violent actions by settlers in the West Bank and condemned the violence against Palestinians. “I remain concerned about attacks by extremist settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank,” Biden said Wednesday. “This has to stop now.” Such attacks are like pouring gasoline on a fire.