Israel plans at least ten more weeks of war in Gaza
Israel continues to attack numerous targets in the Gaza Strip over the Christmas period. The Ministry of Finance calculates what the next few weeks of war will cost - and plans to continue until the beginning of March. Meanwhile, at least 30 new fatalities are reported from the Palestinian territory.
According to Israel's Ministry of Finance, it expects the war to continue until at least the beginning of March. Further expenditure of at least 50 billion shekels (14 billion dollars) is to be expected, a representative of the ministry told the Knesset Finance Committee. This would almost triple the budget deficit. Costs would therefore have to be reduced or revenues increased. The chairman of the committee, Moshe Gafni, spoke out against an increase in income tax. However, he supported taxes on excessive bank profits and measures to promote economic growth.
Following a visit to troops in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would "deepen the fight in the coming days". He spoke of a long battle against Hamas, the end of which was not imminent.
According to insiders, two leading Islamist groups in the Gaza Strip had previously rejected an Egyptian proposal to relinquish power in the Palestinian territory in return for an indefinite ceasefire. The radical Islamic Hamas and Islamic Jihad are only prepared to release further hostages as a concession, as the Reuters news agency has learned from two members of the Egyptian security services. The Egyptian proposal is also supported by Qatar, which is also mediating in the conflict.
According to reports, however, the exiled political leadership of Hamas is already holding talks behind the backs of the two Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip, Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, on how the Gaza Strip and the West Bank will be governed after the end of the war. Israel wants to kill Sinwar and Deif, who are considered the masterminds of the terrorist attack on October 7. Sinwar wrote that the armed arm of Hamas would not submit to Israeli conditions.
UN aid organizations speak of destruction, hardship and suffering in Gaza
Meanwhile, the Israeli army is continuing its attacks on targets in the Gaza Strip over the Christmas period. The Ministry of Health, which is controlled by the Islamist Hamas, declared that twelve people were killed in an attack on the village of Al-Sawaida in the center of the Palestinian territory on Monday night. At least 18 people were killed in an attack on the town of Chan Junes in the south of the Gaza Strip. The figures cannot be independently verified. The ministry also stated that there had been around 50 Israeli attacks in the center of the Gaza Strip.
According to the local health authority, a total of 20,674 people have been killed as a result of Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war. In addition, 54,536 people have been injured, according to the authority, which is subordinate to the radical Islamic Hamas. These figures cannot be independently verified. According to UN figures, around four out of five of the 2.2 million inhabitants of the coastal strip were displaced from their homes during the war. UN aid organizations paint a picture of destruction, despair, hunger, hardship and suffering.
The war was triggered by a major attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7. According to Israeli figures, around 1140 people, mostly civilians, were killed and around 250 others were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. Since then, Israel has been carrying out massive attacks in the Palestinian territory - with the declared aim of destroying Hamas.
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The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israel will "deepen the fight against Hamas" in the coming days, indicating a long-term commitment to the conflict. This comes as two leading Islamist groups in Gaza, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, have reportedly rejected an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire in return for relinquishing power.
Source: www.ntv.de
