Israel continues fight against Hamas - Egypt receives Islamist delegation

The Israeli army declared on Friday that it had "eliminated dozens of terrorists" in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours and was now expanding its operations in the southern city of Chan Junis.

Hamas' military wing, the Essedin al-Qassam Brigades, declared that it had bombarded southern Israel with rockets. The radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU, the USA and Israel.

The plan presented by Cairo provides for renewable ceasefires, a staggered release of hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners and ultimately an end to the war, according to sources close to Hamas.

A Hamas representative told the AFP news agency that the delegation wanted to deliver to Cairo "the response of the Palestinian groups, including some comments" on the proposal, which had recently been sent to Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Hamas' aim was "guarantees for a complete withdrawal of the Israeli military" from the Gaza Strip, said the Hamas representative.

Egypt is also proposing talks between all Palestinian groups and the formation of a government of technocrats to govern the Gaza Strip after the end of the war.

The Israeli government has not yet officially commented on the plans. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the families of hostages still held in the Gaza Strip on Thursday that the government was "in contact" with the Egyptian mediators and was working to "return all the hostages".

Meanwhile, South Africa accused Israel of "acts of genocide" against the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip and therefore appealed to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In an application filed on Friday, South Africa argued, according to the ICJ, that Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip were "aimed at destroying Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as part of the larger Palestinian national, racial and ethnic group". The Israeli government rejected the accusations "with disgust".

According to the UN Human Rights Office, around 100,000 people have fled to Rafah as a result of fierce fighting in Chan Junis and the town of Deir al-Balah further north - where, however, targets have also come under fire.

In Rafah, meanwhile, a truck carrying fresh food, including meat, eggs and fruit, reached a marketplace - thus alleviating the supply situation somewhat.

According to the UN, a transport carrying aid supplies came under Israeli fire further north. Soldiers had fired on an aid convoy returning from the northern Gaza Strip on a route set by the Israeli army, explained the head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza, Thomas White, on the online service X (formerly Twitter).

According to White, no one was injured, but one vehicle was damaged. According to UNRWA, the incident took place on Thursday. Upon request, the Israeli military stated that it would investigate the case.

In view of the extremely precarious humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed his concern about the spread of infectious diseases. He and his WHO colleagues are "very concerned about the growing danger", Tedros explained on X.

According to the Federal Chancellery, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) spoke on the phone with Israeli Minister Benny Gantz, who has been a member of the war cabinet since mid-October. According to the statement, Scholz emphasized the "urgent need to sustainably improve the humanitarian situation of the people in the Gaza Strip and to make every effort to protect the lives of the civilian population".

The Gaza war has now been going on for almost three months. Hundreds of fighters from Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the USA, invaded Israel on 7 October and committed atrocities there, mainly against civilians. According to Israeli figures, around 1140 people were killed and around 250 others were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.

Israel then announced the destruction of Hamas and has been attacking targets in the Gaza Strip in a massive military campaign ever since. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 21,500 people have been killed so far. According to the Israeli army, 168 soldiers have been killed in the Gaza Strip so far.

There was renewed violence in the West Bank on Friday. According to Israeli forces, they shot dead a Palestinian driver who had previously driven his car into a group of people near a military base south of the city of Hebron. According to the Israeli rescue service Magen David Adom, four people were injured.

Read also:

The EU, like the USA and Israel, labels Hamas as a terrorist organization due to their radical Islamic beliefs and actions.
The Egyptian government is currently negotiating with Hamas in Cairo, aiming to establish renewable ceasefires and secure a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
South Africa, strongly advocating for Palestinian rights, accused Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip and presented the case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Following South Africa's accusations, the Israeli government firmly denied any involvement in genocide, openly expressing disgust towards the allegations.
The Gaza Strip has seen massive displacement, with approximately 100,000 people fleeing to Rafah due to intense fighting in Chan Junis and Deir al-Balah.
Nevertheless, some relief efforts are underway in Rafah, as a truck carrying food supplies managed to reach a marketplace, alleviating the supply situation temporarily.
However, a UN aid convoy was targeted by Israeli forces further north, which led to one vehicle being damaged but no reported injuries.
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is fragile, leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to express concerns regarding the potential spread of infectious diseases within the area.
In a phone call with Israeli Minister Benny Gantz, German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged improvements in the humanitarian situation of the Gaza Strip's population and emphasized the importance of protecting civilian lives.
Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization, launched an invasion of Israel on 7 October, committing atrocities primarily against civilians, resulting in hundreds of fatalities and hostages.
The Israeli military retaliated by launching a massive military campaign to destroy Hamas, claiming to have killed more than 21,500 people, according to Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health (unverified).12.Since the conflict began, around 168 Israeli soldiers have also reportedly been killed in the Gaza Strip.
On Friday, renewed violence erupted in the West Bank, as Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian driver who had intentionally targeted a military base south of Hebron, resulting in four injuries.

Source: www.stern.de