Israeli army expands ground battle in Gaza

Middle East - Israeli army expands ground battle in Gaza

According to Israel's army, it expanded its ground operation in the Gaza Strip over the Christmas weekend, concentrating on the extensive network of tunnels run by the Islamist Hamas.

The troops are involved in "complex battles in densely populated areas" and are tracking down "terrorist infrastructures", particularly in the underground tunnels, said army spokesman Daniel Hagari. The destruction of the tunnels in the southern city of Chan Junis and other areas is time-consuming. The military had previously stated that they were now approaching complete control over the north of the coastal strip.

Biden to Netanyahu: protect civilians

In order to alleviate the horrific suffering of the civilian population, the UN Security Council passed a resolution on Friday calling for an increase in humanitarian aid after days of wrangling. 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 the White House, US President Joe Biden 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.

Israel's army focuses on Hamas tunnels

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 concentrate on the Hamas leadership.

According to Israel, Hamas is hiding in the tunnels under the coastal area. In order to destroy these, the technical forces in the southern city of Chan Junis, for example, have been significantly increased, said army spokesman Hagari. The capacities of the division fighting there would be further expanded in the coming days.

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 reach dozens of meters underground. The terrorists also use the underground routes to emerge from nowhere and attack from behind. Many of the tunnels are booby-trapped to kill Israeli soldiers who enter them.

Israel: numerous explosive devices dug up

Since the beginning of the war, around 30,000 explosive devices, including anti-tank missiles and rockets in the possession of the Islamist Hamas, have been destroyed or confiscated, Hagari continued. Israel's military had previously announced that it had killed a senior Hamas official who was responsible for its own weapons supply.

Meanwhile, in the north, Israel says it is in the process of taking control of the area. However, the "Wall Street Journal" quoted Israeli military analysts as saying that such control does not mean that the military has eliminated the Hamas presence. Rather, Israel would only be limiting Hamas' ability to carry out attacks. Because of the tunnels, Israel cannot consolidate its control over Gaza. That is why the army is now concentrating more on the tunnels, it said.

Israel: More than 700 terrorists arrested

So far, more than 700 members of terrorist organizations have been captured in the coastal strip during the ground operation, Israel's military announced on Saturday. Within one week alone, more than 200 had been captured. They had been brought to Israel for interrogation. Some had surrendered. The information could not initially be independently verified.

The war was triggered by the worst attack in Israel's history, carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7 near the border with the Gaza Strip. More than 1,200 people were killed on the Israeli side as a result. Israel responded with massive air strikes and began a ground offensive at the end of October. According to the Hamas health authority in Gaza, more than 20,000 people have been killed in the area since then.

Rocket alert in northern Israel

Meanwhile, the sirens sounded again this morning in northern Israel, as the army announced. Mutual attacks had previously occurred again on the border with Lebanon. According to the army, Israeli soldiers had attacked a military compound and other targets of the Shiite militia Hezbollah in the neighboring country. Several rocket launches and attacks with mortar shells from Lebanon towards Israel were recorded. The Hezbollah militia is closely linked to Israel's arch-enemy Iran.

According to US intelligence, Iran is deeply involved in the planning of attacks by Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea. According to the US Department of Defense, Iran is also responsible for a drone attack on a merchant ship in the Arabian Sea off the coast of India.

The Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker "MV Chem Pluto" was hit by an attack drone from Iran, the Pentagon announced in Washington. A fire on board the tanker was extinguished. There were no fatalities or injuries in the incident, the statement continued.

What will be important today

Israel's army is stepping up the fighting against Hamas. The situation for civilians is becoming increasingly dramatic due to the lack of aid supplies. Meanwhile, Christmas is being celebrated quietly in the Holy Land because of the war. Access to the city of Bethlehem in the West Bank is extremely restricted by Israeli army roadblocks. However, midnight mass is to take place.