Israel's army: war lasts many months

Middle East - Israel's army: war lasts many months

While Israel's army is expanding its ground operation against the Islamist Hamas in the central and southern Gaza Strip, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation are continuing in the background. According to Israel's Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi, however, the fighting will continue for "many months". There are "no magic solutions". Hamas also wants to continue fighting. According to a media report, Egypt's proposal for a gradual end to the war is not off the table. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden spoke with the Emir of Qatar about "urgent efforts" to release all hostages and facilitate the delivery of aid to Gaza, as the White House announced on Tuesday.

Israeli army: There are no magic solutions

The fighting in the densely populated and sealed-off coastal strip is taking place in a "complex" environment, said Halevi on Tuesday evening. "So the war will continue for many months, and we will proceed in various ways to ensure that success is maintained over time," explained the Israeli Chief of Staff. "There are no magic solutions or shortcuts in the fundamental dismantling of a terrorist organization, only a persistent and determined fight," Halevi continued.

UN concerned about Israel's bombings

"We will also get to the Hamas leadership, whether it takes a week or months," said Halevi. Israel's military is close to completing the dismantling of Hamas battalions in the northern Gaza Strip. "We are currently concentrating our efforts on the southern Gaza Strip - Chan Junis, the central camps and beyond," he said. The information could not initially be independently verified. The UN Human Rights Office previously expressed concern about Israel's continued bombardment of the central Gaza Strip.

Gaza Strip again without internet

Since Christmas Eve, 137 people have died in two refugee camps alone, the office announced on Tuesday, citing information from the organization "Doctors Without Borders". Three refugee camps had been hit. All the roads between the camps had been destroyed, making the supply of relief supplies much more difficult. This information could not initially be independently verified either. According to information from Palestinian companies based in the West Bank, telecommunications services failed again. The Gaza Strip was again cut off from the outside world, it was said.

In the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited the destruction of Hamas and the demilitarization of Gaza as a condition for peace. However, he is under domestic political pressure to secure the release of all hostages in Gaza. During a ceasefire lasting several days at the end of November, 105 hostages were exchanged for 240 Palestinians.

Newspaper: Israel discusses Egyptian proposal for de-escalation

As the newspaper reported on Wednesday night, Netanyahu's war cabinet has forwarded an Egyptian proposal for a phased end to the war to a larger group of ministers. Israel is ready to discuss the first phase of the proposal, which provides for the release of more hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during a renewed ceasefire, the Wall Street Journal quoted a senior member of Netanyahu's Likud party as saying.

Israel's defense minister: facing a multi-front war

According to Israel's Defense Minister Joav Galant, his country is facing a war on seven fronts simultaneously. These are Gaza and the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran. "We have already reacted and acted on six of these fronts," he told parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday, according to the Times of Israel newspaper.

Renewed attacks on ships in the Red Sea

Israel is not only being attacked by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but also by the Houthi rebels in Yemen since the outbreak of the Gaza war. Recently, they have also repeatedly attacked ships in the Red Sea - one of the most important shipping routes for world trade. According to the pro-Iranian group on Tuesday evening, another merchant ship has now been attacked in the Red Sea. The crew of the "MSC United" had ignored several warnings. It initially remained unclear whether there were any casualties or damage.

US military shoots down Houthi drones and missiles

Meanwhile, the US military, which is allied with Israel, reportedly shot down twelve attack drones and five missiles fired by the Houthi rebels in the south of the Red Sea. Fighter jets from a US aircraft carrier group were among those involved, it was reported on Tuesday. The Houthis had fired the kamikaze drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles over a period of around ten hours on Tuesday.

Exchange of fire also on Israel's northern border

On the same day, the Hezbollah militia and the Israeli army again exchanged fire in the border area between Israel and Lebanon. The Shiite militia, which operates from Lebanon and is allied with Iran, announced that it had fired on military targets in Israel, scoring "direct hits". The Israeli army said it had fired back.

The Gaza war was triggered by the terrorist attack by Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7. They killed more than 1200 people. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive in which, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 20,600 people have been killed so far.

What will be important on Wednesday

Israel's army continues to expand its ground operations in the south of the Gaza Strip. The situation of the civilian population remains catastrophic. According to a media report, Israel's cabinet wanted to discuss Egypt's plan for a gradual end in an expanded ministerial circle.