Situation in the Middle East - Fierce fighting resumes in Gaza Strip after ceasefire
After a week-long ceasefire, the war in the Gaza Strip is back with a vengeance. Israel's army resumed fighting against the Islamist Hamas and attacked more than 200 targets in the north and south of the sealed-off coastal strip within a few hours.
Dozens of rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip. Efforts to extend the ceasefire and further hostage releases had previously failed.
According to mediator Qatar, however, negotiations were at least continued in order to suspend the fighting again. The United Nations and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also insisted on this. A spokesperson for US President Joe Biden's National Security Council said of the negotiations: "Hamas has not yet presented a list of hostages that would allow for a further extension of the pause."
Independently of the current war, the New York Times caused a stir with a report that Israel had evidence of just such plans about a year before the bloody Hamas attack on October 7. According to the report, Israeli authorities had exchanged information on a 40-page document codenamed "Jericho Wall", which outlined a Hamas battle plan. It was ultimately dismissed by experts as too ambitious for Hamas.
The Hamas attack on Israel with around 1200 dead and around 240 kidnapped hostages was the reason for the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip. Last week, Israel and Hamas agreed a ceasefire for the first time, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the USA, which was briefly extended twice. During this time, Hamas released 105 hostages, including 14 Germans, and Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners in return.
In addition, tons of aid reached the Gaza Strip for the approximately two million Palestinian civilians. The Palestinian Red Crescent spoke of 1,000 trucks of aid, 310 of which were destined for the north of the sealed-off area.
Parties to the conflict blame each other
A further extension of the agreement was not possible during the night. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of: "It did not fulfill its obligation to release all female hostages today and fired rockets at Israeli citizens."
Hamas official Chalil Al-Haja told the Arab TV channel Al-Jazeera that Israel had rejected "several offers, initiatives and proposals" for an extension of the ceasefire. After the deadline expired at 6.00 a.m. CET in the morning, Israeli fighter jets attacked Hamas targets again, according to the army.
Hamas reports more than a hundred dead
Israel's army first took stock of the situation in the afternoon: the ground, air and naval forces attacked 200 targets, including in the south of the Gaza Strip. For weeks, the military had previously called on residents of the northern coastal strip to flee to the south for their safety. It is now expected that Israel could also expand its attacks in the southern part.
According to the army, booby-trapped areas, tunnel shafts, launching pads and command centers were targeted. The information could not be independently verified. This also applies to statements made by the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip in the afternoon, according to which 109 people are said to have been killed in the attacks. Hundreds more were said to have been injured.
Following the end of the ceasefire, aid deliveries initially stopped arriving via the Rafah border crossing in the Gaza Strip. This was confirmed to the German Press Agency by the Palestinian spokesman for the border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. The UN emergency aid office OCHA called for free access for further aid convoys. The UN Children's Fund, Unicef, strongly condemned the new fighting and spoke of the danger of a bloodbath.
Baerbock said in Berlin: "In these minutes, we must do everything we can to ensure that the humanitarian ceasefire continues." The suffering is unbearable for the people in Israel as well as for the people in Gaza.
Reminders from the USA to Israel
The previous day, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had called on Israel's leadership in no uncertain terms to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip. The numerous deaths among the civilian population and the displacement on a scale seen in the northern Gaza Strip must not be repeated in the south.
Israeli government spokeswoman Tal Heinrich told CNN that Blinken had presented plans for safe zones and more humanitarian corridors. Israel's army published a map for the civilian population that divides the area into numbered zones - "in preparation for the next phase of the war". This should enable residents to "orient themselves, understand the instructions and move to safety from specific locations if necessary".
Israel: 137 hostages still in the Gaza Strip
Hamas blamed the international community and the USA in particular for "the continuation of the brutal war against civilians, children and women". The Palestinian people have "the right to defend themselves by all means", it said in a statement. For its part, the Israeli government reaffirmed its goal of destroying Hamas.
Israel suspects that 137 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip, including 115 men, 20 women and two children.
Fighting again on the Israeli-Lebanese border
There was also renewed fighting on the border between Lebanon and Israel. The Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon declared that it had attacked a group of "enemy soldiers" in the border area in the afternoon. The Israeli military reported shelling from Lebanon and declared that it had attacked a terrorist cell in the neighboring country.
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- Annalena Baerbock, as the German Foreign Minister, joined efforts to extend the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
- The failure to extend the ceasefire led to a resumption of conflicts between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian territories.
- Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, accused Hamas of not fulfilling its obligation to release all female hostages.
- Qatar, acting as a mediator, continued negotiations to suspend the fighting between Israel and Hamas.
- The New York Times reported on Israeli evidence of Hamas battle plans a year before the October 7 attack.
- The USA, along with Egypt and Qatar, mediated a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas last week.
- The United Nations (UN) strongly condemned the new fighting and expressed concern for the safety of civilians in the Gaza Strip.
- Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, called for a humanitarian ceasefire and an end to the hostilities in the Middle East.
- Tony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, urged Israel's leadership to protect civilians and prevent further deaths in the Gaza Strip.
- Hamas, in response to US pressure, blamed the international community and the USA for the continuation of the conflict.
- The Israeli army reported that they had targeted booby-trapped areas, tunnel shafts, and command centers in the Gaza Strip.
- The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the escalation of tensions and urged all parties to exercise restraint and return to negotiations.
Source: www.stern.de
