Despite growing criticism: Israel will continue to fight "until victory", announces Prime Minister Netanyahu

War against Hamas - Despite growing criticism: Israel will continue to fight "until victory", announces Prime Minister Netanyahu

Despite international calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to continue the war against the Islamist Hamas. "We will continue until the end, until victory, until the destruction of Hamas, even in the face of international pressure," he told soldiers on Wednesday, according to a statement from the government press office. "Nothing will stop us."

The Palestinian territory's Hamas-controlled health ministry spoke of at least 19 new deaths. According to the Palestinian Authority, two people were killed in Israeli attacks on the West Bank city of Jenin.

USA: Hamas has started confrontation

On Tuesday, the UN General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip by a large majority. The USA, traditionally a close ally of Israel, also expressed criticism of Israel's military action in the Gaza Strip. US President Joe Biden accused Israel of "indiscriminate" bombardment of the Gaza Strip in unusually harsh terms.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that Washington was "concerned" about civilian casualties and had "expressed concern about the continuation of the military operation". However, the USA was clearly aware that Hamas had started the conflict.

Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was expected in Israel on Thursday for talks with Netanyahu. In the run-up to his trip, Sullivan had stated that Israel must reduce the intensity of its attacks.

Apparently bombs without guidance systems in use

Meanwhile, the US news channel CNN reported, citing US intelligence information, that between 40 and 45 percent of the bombs dropped by Israel on the Gaza Strip were bombs without guidance systems. These are less accurate than precision bombs, which can aim at their target with great accuracy, and therefore potentially pose a greater danger to civilians.

In view of the growing criticism of the numerous civilian victims of the military offensive in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli armed forces once again accused Hamas of abusing civilians as human shields. "Our troops have found large weapons depots and tunnels in several schools. They even discovered a sniper rifle hidden in a teddy bear," said military spokeswoman Keren Hajioff. Nevertheless, the armed forces are trying to avoid civilian casualties in their operation against Hamas. "Our war is against Hamas, not the people of Gaza," said Hajioff. "But while Hamas sees every innocent death as part of its strategy, for us every innocent death is a tragedy."

The war between Israel and Hamas was triggered by the militant Palestinian organization's major attack on Israel on 7 October. Fighters from Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the USA and the EU, attacked Israel and carried out the worst attack on the country since the founding of the state 75 years ago. According to Israeli reports, 1,200 people were killed and around 240 people were taken hostage, most of them civilians.

Israel responded by bombing targets in the Gaza Strip and launching a ground offensive, announcing that it would destroy Hamas. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 18,600 people were killed.

UNRWA chief: Desperate families without food in the Gaza Strip

Because there is so little food in the Gaza Strip, chaos broke out when one of the few trucks carrying relief supplies arrived. This was reported by the head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, in Geneva on Wednesday.

"The Palestinians are facing the darkest chapter in their history since 1948," he said. The state of Israel was founded in 1948. He had seen desperate people tearing open bags on the street to devour what little food they could get hold of, Lazzarini said, describing the situation.

Israel's military: Hamas fires rockets from humanitarian zone

According to the Israeli armed forces, the Islamist Hamas continues to fire rockets from the "humanitarian zone" in the Gaza Strip, which is exempt from attacks. Since the establishment of the protection zone for civilians on October 18, 116 rockets have been fired at Israel from the area around the village of Al-Mawasi on the Mediterranean coast, the military announced on Wednesday. 38 rockets hit inside the Gaza Strip.

"Hamas continues to use the humanitarian zone to carry out terrorist activities, endangering the lives of civilians in the Gaza Strip and Israel," the military statement continued.

Rain worsens situation for displaced people in Gaza

The situation for displaced people in the Gaza Strip continues to worsen due to heavy rainfall. "We are afraid for our children because of the cold and the rain, which are getting worse with the onset of winter," says Chadija al-Sharafi, who lives in the Gaza Strip. He and his family left everything behind when they fled from the northern part of the sealed-off area. Now they are exposed to the weather without sufficient clothing. According to the UN Palestinian Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), almost 1.9 million people are now internally displaced due to the war in the Gaza Strip - out of a total population of more than 2.2 million. Many people are sleeping in the open.

Meanwhile, Hamas leader Ismail Hanijeh said in a televised address on Wednesday that there could be no future for the Gaza Strip without the involvement of his organization. "Any agreement in Gaza or regarding the Palestinian cause without Hamas or the resistance movements is an illusion."

According to a new survey by the Palestinian polling institute PCPSR, 78 percent of people in the Palestinian territories would vote for Haniyeh. Before the war began, the figure was 58 percent. Around two thirds of those surveyed - 64% - also stated that they assume that Hamas will retain control of the Gaza Strip after the end of the fighting.