Rocket alert in Israel at the start of the New Year

War in the Middle East - Rocket alert in Israel at the start of the New Year

In Israel, rocket alarms were again sounded in several cities on New Year's Eve. The Israeli army announced on Monday night that sirens had sounded on the border with the Gaza Strip and in the interior of the country. As the newspaper "Times of Israel" reported, the Islamist group Hamas fired more than 20 rockets from the Gaza Strip towards Israel. Most of them were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. According to the emergency services, no injuries were initially reported as a result of the shelling.

Israel lets some reservists home

Three months after the start of the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israel's military is now adjusting its troop deployment in anticipation of even longer-lasting fighting and is allowing some reservists to temporarily return to civilian life. "The goals of the war require a prolonged battle, and we are preparing accordingly," Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Sunday evening. According to the Times of Israel, the military believes it is likely that the Gaza war will continue throughout 2024.

"We are adapting our way of warfare and the forces required for each area in the Gaza Strip to best fulfill the mission, as each area has different characteristics and different operational needs," Hagari said. Some of the reservists will "return to their families and their jobs" this week. This will relieve Israel's economy and allow the reservists to "gather strength for the upcoming activities" in the new year.

The Gaza war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history on October 7, in which terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups murdered around 1200 people in Israel and deported around 240 others to the Gaza Strip. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive.

Israel's goal is the complete destruction of Hamas. The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza so far has risen to 21,822, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority. This cannot be independently verified at present, but the UN and other observers say that the authority's figures have proved to be generally credible in the past. Israel's bombardments have caused severe devastation in the narrow coastal area.

Report: Investigation into Hamas massacre

Meanwhile, Israeli investigators are reconstructing the massacre of October 7 on the basis of around 200,000 photos and videos as well as 2,000 witness statements with the intention of initiating legal proceedings against those responsible, as the "Wall Street Journal" reported on Sunday. It is likely to be the most important trial since the trial of Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann in Israel in 1961, it said. Eichmann had millions of Jews deported to extermination camps during the Nazi era. Eichmann was sentenced to death and hanged.

Forensic evidence provided to the newspaper by Israeli officials showed, among other things, that some victims were burned alive. Photos showed mutilations on the bodies of the victims, including the genitals of men and women. The bodies of women and girls showed various signs of sexual violence. Hamas denied having killed children and raped women.

Experts: evidence of torture and executions

Israel has so far identified around 800 civilians murdered on October 7, including 37 minors under the age of 17, six of whom were under the age of five, the newspaper continued. According to the head of the forensic center, computer tomography images showed signs of torture and executions. The terrorists posted videos of killings and kidnappings on the pages of their victims on social media, where friends and family could view them, the Wall Street Journal reported.

More incidents with Houthi rebels

Meanwhile, attacks by Yemeni Houthi rebels on merchant ships in the Red Sea led to a direct confrontation with the US military. The pro-Iranian group attacked a Danish container ship from four small boats with small arms and attempted to board the ship, the responsible US regional command announced on the X platform, formerly Twitter, on Sunday. A security team on board returned fire. US forces then intervened, were attacked themselves and ultimately killed several of the rebels, it said.

Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, the Houthis have repeatedly attacked ships with an alleged Israeli connection in the Red Sea. They also repeatedly attack Israel directly with drones and missiles.

What will be important on Monday

The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip remains catastrophic. Nevertheless, Israel is continuing the fighting.