Worldwide protests against Israel's Gaza campaign
While Israel's ground troops continue to fight fierce battles with the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip, pro-Palestinian mass protests are growing worldwide.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators in many German cities as well as in the USA, France and the UK demanded an end to the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Several Arab states and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) also called for an "immediate ceasefire in Gaza" following a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Meanwhile, fighting between Israel's army and Hamas continued during the night.
Fighting continues
In the early morning, terrorists attacked Israeli soldiers in the south of the Gaza Strip near the border with anti-tank missiles, reported the newspaper "Jerusalem Post". The Israeli military fired back. Since the beginning of the war, the army has repeatedly called on civilians in the north of the Gaza Strip to flee to the south of the sealed-off coastal area for their own safety. According to military figures, at least around 700,000 people have done so. The army has once again given civilians a four-hour window for today to flee south.
The military is currently fighting Hamas facilities in the north in particular. However, there have already been Israeli air strikes in the south too. According to the army, there are only targeted attacks on Hamas leaders in the areas designated for the civilian population. The area is not a "safe zone", but is safer "than any other place in Gaza".
Mass protests against Israel worldwide
In view of the gruesome images of ever more deaths and drastic destruction, there were angry pro-Palestinian protests in numerous cities in Europe and the USA. According to police reports, almost 17,000 people took to the streets in Düsseldorf alone, and around half as many in Berlin. The police in the capital reported posters with criminal content, issued dozens of reports and are now investigating incitement to hatred, among other things.
In Washington, tens of thousands of people called for "Freedom for Palestine", many demonstrators marched to the White House and gathered in front of the entrance gate, which was smeared with handprints in red paint. In London, 30,000 people took part in protests against the Israeli attacks, as the BBC reported, citing police estimates. Among other things, they called for an immediate ceasefire. Thousands of people also took to the streets in French cities. Around 20,000 demonstrators took part in Paris, as local media reported, citing the police.
The "expulsion of the Palestinians" must be stopped, said Jordanian Foreign Minister Aiman al-Safadi on Saturday in Amman after a meeting with US Secretary of State Blinken. "Murder and war crimes must stop and Israel's immunity from international law must end." Blinken reiterated his support for a humanitarian ceasefire, but rejected a long-lasting ceasefire. "A full ceasefire now would only lead to Hamas remaining in power, regrouping and repeating what it did on October 7."
Israeli troops target Hamas chief in Gaza
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari recently stated that it was the intention of Hamas and its leader Jihia al-Sinwar to show the picture of a destroyed Gaza and to hold Israel responsible for the suffering of the people there. "They will not be able to hide the real culprits, namely themselves, who have brought destruction to Gaza," said Hagari.
Israel's advancing ground troops are "dismantling one Hamas battalion after another" and would "eliminate" Al-Sinwar, the newspaper "The Times of Israel" quoted Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant as saying late on Saturday.
Iran reported that Head of State Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had received the head of Hamas' political bureau in Tehran. Ismail Haniya had traveled to the capital of the Islamic Republic "a few days ago" for talks, the Iranian state news agency Irna reported on Saturday, citing a Hamas representative.
Shelling from Gaza on Israel continues
The armed wing of Hamas fired another longer-range rocket into southern Israel on Saturday. According to the UN, a school was also hit during fighting in the Gaza Strip. The school in the refugee district of Jabalia serves as accommodation for displaced families, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. There were reports of 20 dead. The exact background was unclear. There was talk from the Palestinian side of an Israeli attack. Israel's military stated that they were investigating the reports. The information provided by both sides is often difficult to verify.
Israel has long accused Hamas of deliberately placing its command centers, weapons depots and rocket launchers in civilian facilities such as hospitals and schools or in tunnels underneath them - so that they are not bombed from the air.
What is important today
The Israeli army has once again given civilians in the Gaza Strip a window of opportunity to flee to the south of the coastal area. Israeli forces would allow traffic on a southbound road between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm local time (9:00 am and 1:00 pm CET), an Israeli army spokesman wrote on the X platform (formerly Twitter) on Saturday evening.
Source: www.dpa.com
