Netanyahu sets three conditions for the end of the Gaza war

Middle East - Netanyahu sets three conditions for the end of the Gaza war

Israel continues to use its military might against the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Hamas once again fired rockets at the border area with Israel. The sirens were wailing there. The humanitarian situation for hundreds of thousands of people in the Gaza Strip remains precarious. Following the death of an Iranian general in Syria, the conflict threatens to escalate.

Netanyahu sets three conditions for an end to the Gaza war

During a visit to the troops fighting in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would "deepen the fight in the coming days". In a guest article for the "Wall Street Journal" (Tuesday), he named three conditions for peace: "Hamas must be destroyed, the Gaza Strip must be demilitarized and Palestinian society must be de-radicalized. These are the three preconditions for peace between Israel and its Palestinian neighbors in the Gaza Strip."

Netanyahu rejected international criticism. Israel continues to act "in full compliance with international law". Israel was doing its best to keep the number of civilian casualties "as low as possible".

The 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 and more than 54,500 injured so far.

Report: Israeli minister discusses strategy in Washington

Netanyahu's Minister for Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, wanted to present plans in Washington for a new low-intensity phase in the war, which is to begin by the end of January, as the news portal "Axios" reported, citing Israeli and US officials. The USA wants Israel to switch to more targeted operations.

The Israeli army continued its bombardment. According to the coastal health authority, which is controlled by the Islamist Hamas, at least 52 people were killed. According to the army on Tuesday, dozens of fighter jets in conjunction with ground troops attacked more than 100 targets - including tunnel shafts of the Islamist Hamas and military installations.

The information provided by the army and from the Gaza Strip could not initially be independently verified.

Hamas rejects new ceasefire

Hamas rejects a temporary ceasefire and demands a permanent ceasefire. Hamas responded to an Arab media report that Egypt had drawn up a plan to end the war in Gaza in several stages. This draft provides for a ceasefire lasting at least two weeks, according to the report. During an initial ceasefire lasting several days at the end of November, 105 hostages were exchanged for 240 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

After the death of a general: Sharp threats from Tehran to Israel

The death of an Iranian general in a suspected Israeli airstrike in Syria is increasing tensions in the region. According to the Tasnim news agency, Iranian Defense Ministry spokesman Resa Talaei-Nik threatened Israel: "The Zionists (Israel) must be prepared for the consequences of their crime ... and they will be painful."

The senior member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), General Sejed-Rasi Mussawi, was killed in an explosion in a suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday.

According to the "New York Times", Mussawi is said to have helped monitor the delivery of missiles and other weapons to the Lebanese Hezbollah militia.

The Israeli military only said that it did not comment on foreign media reports regarding the general's death. The New York Times wrote that Israeli officials had admitted that they were preparing for possible Iranian retaliation.

Israel is attacking targets in Syria to prevent Iran from expanding its military influence there with the help of militias. Both Lebanon and Syria are neighboring countries of Israel.

For Tehran, Syria is part of the so-called "axis of resistance" in the fight against Israel, alongside the Shia organization Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Islamist Hamas. According to US intelligence, Iran also supports the Houthi rebels in Yemen and militias in Iraq.

Mutual shelling continues on the Israeli-Lebanese border

In the border area between Israel and Lebanon, Hezbollah and the Israeli army continued to fire at each other. The Shiite militia announced that it had fired at military targets in Israel and scored "direct hits". According to Israeli military sources, an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon hit a church in northern Israel. A civilian was also injured in the village of Ikrit. It was not initially possible to independently verify the information provided by both sides.