Israel takes hundreds of prisoners and expands operation
According to its own statements, the Israeli military is continuing to advance into densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip. Many prisoners have been taken in the last week. Meanwhile, the USA is once again insisting on the protection of civilians, as President Biden has made clear.
According to the Israeli army, it expanded its ground operation in the Gaza Strip at the weekend. According to army spokesman Daniel Hagari, the troops were involved in "complex battles in densely populated areas". They were advancing into further strongholds of the Islamist Hamas. So far, the ground troops have destroyed or confiscated around 30,000 explosive devices, including anti-tank missiles and rockets in the possession of the Islamist Hamas. The military had previously announced that it had killed a high-ranking Hamas official who was responsible for its own weapons supply.
The soldiers continued to fight in densely populated areas such as the southern city of Chan Junis and tracked down "terrorist infrastructures", particularly in the underground tunnels, the army spokesman explained. For this reason, the technical forces have been significantly reinforced. The capacities of the division fighting there would be further expanded in the coming days. The destruction of the tunnels is time-consuming.
An entire network of tunnels stretches for many kilometers below the Gaza Strip, in which, according to Israel, a number of Hamas terrorists are hiding and holding hostages from Israel. In order to withstand Israel's bombs from the air, some tunnels extend dozens of meters underground. The terrorists also use the tunnels to emerge from nowhere and attack from behind. Many of the tunnels are booby-trapped to kill Israeli soldiers who enter them.
So far, more than 700 members of terrorist organizations have been captured in the coastal strip during the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. Within one week alone, more than 200 had been captured. They had been brought to Israel for interrogation. Some had surrendered. The information cannot be independently verified.
USA again urges protection of civilians
In view of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, Israel has recently come under increasing international pressure. After days of wrangling, the UN Security Council passed a resolution on Friday calling for an increase in humanitarian aid in order to alleviate the terrible suffering of the civilian population. However, the watered-down compromise text does not call for an immediate ceasefire.
As Israel's most important ally, the USA abstained from the vote. According to information from the White House on Saturday, US President Joe Biden once again made it clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a telephone call that civilians, including humanitarian aid workers, must be protected at all costs.
According to the United Nations, one in four Palestinians in Gaza is at risk of starvation. In recent talks with Israel's leadership, the US government has repeatedly insisted on more targeted military operations that should focus on the Hamas leadership.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
The ongoing Israel war in the Gaza Strip has resulted in hundreds of prisoners being taken by the Israeli military, including members of Hamas. The conflict continues to intensify in densely populated areas like Gaza, leading to calls for the protection of civilians, as advocated by President Biden of the USA. The Israeli military's ground operation in the Gaza Strip has seen complex battles against Hamas in areas such as Chan Junis, with a focus on destroying terrorist infrastructures, including underground tunnels used by the organization.
Source: www.ntv.de
