Israel continues military offensive in Gaza Strip despite calls for restraint

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said troops were involved in fighting with militants in two districts of the city of Gaza on Thursday evening. He added that there would be "more fierce battles" in the coming days.

According to the Israeli armed forces, 117 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the start of the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. The army also announced on Friday morning that it had recovered the bodies of three hostages in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, the mobile phone and internet connections in the Gaza Strip that were interrupted on Thursday could not yet be restored on Friday. The operator Paltel blamed this on the interruption of the most important fiber optic connections from the Israeli side.

Meanwhile, during a visit to Israel, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan called for control of the Gaza Strip to be handed back to the Palestinians after the end of the war. "We don't think it makes sense for Israel, or is right for Israel, to occupy Gaza, to reoccupy Gaza long-term," Sullivan said.

Ultimately, control of the Gaza Strip, its administration and security in the coastal area "must pass to the Palestinians". The Israeli government itself had made it clear that it had no intention of occupying the Gaza Strip in the long term.

The USA and Israel agreed that the war would continue for months, Sullivan continued. However, there are "intense discussions" about the future phases of the conflict and the consequences. "There will be a transition to another phase of this war," said Sullivan. This would be one "that focuses in a more precise way" on the Hamas leadership and "on intelligence-led operations" against the militant group. He did not give a time frame.

Sullivan, who traveled on to Ramallah in the West Bank on Friday, had met Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Joav Gallant in Tel Aviv on Thursday. Gallant said that the war against Hamas would last "more than a few months". "Hamas is a terrorist organization that has built itself up over a decade to fight Israel." In the end, however, Israel will win and destroy Hamas.

Recently, the pressure on Israel to show more consideration for civilians in its actions in the Gaza Strip has grown. "I want them to focus on saving civilian lives," said US President Joe Biden on Thursday. Israel should "not stop" taking action against the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas, "but be more careful".

Netanyahu had declared that he would continue to fight "until victory". His Foreign Minister Eli Cohen also announced that Israel would continue the war "with or without international support".

The EU heads of state and government were unable to agree on a joint declaration on the Middle East conflict. The AFP news agency learned from diplomatic circles that it was not possible to reach a joint position at the EU summit in Brussels on Friday due to demands from a group of countries to take a more critical stance towards Israel. Ireland, Belgium, Spain and Malta had called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, several Western states called on Israel to put an end to settler violence against Palestinians. Israel must "take concrete measures to stop the unprecedented violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank", according to a joint statement published in Paris. However, Germany and the USA were not among the signatories.

The war between Israel and Hamas was triggered on 7 October by the unprecedented attack on Israel by the Islamist Palestinian organization. Fighters from Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the USA and the EU, had invaded Israeli towns and villages and committed atrocities against civilians. According to Israeli reports, around 1,200 people were killed and around 240 people were taken hostage.

In response, the Israeli army began bombing targets in the Gaza Strip and launched a ground offensive. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 18,780 people have been killed so far.