Situation in the Middle East - Israel bombs south of the Gaza Strip
The Israeli military has intensified its bombardment in the southern Gaza Strip on the second day after the ceasefire expired. The army announced on Saturday morning that fighter jets had bombed more than 50 targets in the area around the city of Chan Junis during the night. Terrorists and infrastructure of the Islamist Hamas were also attacked with tanks and targeted air strikes in the area of Beit Lahia, it added.
Heavy fighting in Chan Junis
During the night, Israeli naval units also attacked Hamas military targets in the port of Han Yunis and in Deir al-Balah with precision munitions. The infrastructure and equipment of Hamas' naval forces were hit. For weeks, Israel had previously called on the residents of the northern Gaza Strip to flee to the southern part for their safety.
Israel's army did publish a map for the civilian population on Friday, which 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". However, the fierce attacks by the Israeli military on Saturday are once again raising concerns about civilian casualties.
Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Israel's leadership in no uncertain terms to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip. After a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he warned that the numerous civilian deaths and displacement on the scale seen in northern Gaza must not be repeated in the south.
Attacks in northern Gaza too
According to reports, Israel's armed forces again attacked targets on the ground and from the air in northern Gaza. A terrorist cell that had lured Israeli troops into an ambush was bombed, it was reported on Saturday.
In addition, a fighter plane struck a mosque that served as a command center for Islamic Jihad. Over the course of the past day, more than 400 "terror targets" had been attacked in the entire coastal area, as Israel's army also announced. None of the information could initially be independently verified.
According to its own statements, Hamas had fired rockets at the center of Israel again for the first time after the end of the week-long lull in fighting. According to Israeli figures, around 10,000 rockets have been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip since the start of the war in Gaza.
Israeli army fights "as long as necessary"
According to a spokesperson, Israel's army has not set a time limit for the Gaza war. "We are determined to fight Hamas for as long as it takes," said Israeli army spokesman Jonathan Conricus on Saturday night. He added: "We have no other choice". Conricus reaffirmed his country's war aim of completely destroying the terrorist organization so that it no longer poses a threat to Israel in the future.
The spokesman was responding to reports that Blinken had said during his recent talks in Israel that Israel had three weeks to continue the war as before. Blinken was quoted in Israeli media as saying that he was not sure whether Israel would have the international support to continue fighting with the same intensity as before the ceasefire.
Shelling from Lebanon
According to Israel, it has also been shelled from its northern neighbor Lebanon. The Israeli army announced on Saturday morning that its own artillery had responded by attacking the area from where the shells had been fired towards Israel. A fighter plane had hit the target in Lebanon. There was no information on possible casualties. Only the day before, there had been renewed fighting on the border between the two countries.
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Source: www.stern.de
