Netanyahu sticks to course in Gaza war despite accidental killing of hostages

According to the Hamas Ministry of Health, 24 Palestinians were killed in attacks on the Jabaliya refugee camp in the north of the Gaza Strip; a further twelve people died in attacks on the city of Deir al-Bala in the center of the Palestinian territory. According to eyewitnesses, the south was also bombed.

His country will fight "to the end", emphasized Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. "We will achieve all our goals - destroy Hamas, free all hostages and ensure that the Gaza Strip does not become a center of terrorism again."

However, the Israeli government is coming under increasing pressure - both from abroad and from the hostages' families at home. After the army was forced to announce that Israeli soldiers had mistakenly shot three hostages in the Gaza Strip, hundreds of relatives of the hostages protested in Tel Aviv on Friday evening and Saturday, demanding new negotiations for the release of the abductees. According to the latest Israeli information, 129 hostages are still being held by the Palestinian organization.

The killing of the three hostages had "broken the heart of the entire nation", said Netanyahu. However, the Prime Minister also emphasized that "military pressure" on Hamas was necessary in order to achieve the return of the abductees and victory in the war.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military provided initial findings on the mistaken killing of the hostages. According to the findings, the men, aged between 25 and 28, had appeared on Friday "a few dozen meters" from an Israeli position in the city of Gaza. They had approached the soldiers with a makeshift white flag, which the soldiers perceived as a threat, said a military representative. One soldier then opened fire.

Meanwhile, top international politicians once again called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. "We must all do everything we can to pave the way for a sustainable ceasefire that leads to lasting peace," declared German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) and her British counterpart David Cameron in a joint guest article in the British newspaper "Sunday Times". They also called on Hamas to lay down its arms.

In view of the many civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip, France's Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna also spoke out in favor of a "renewed, immediate and permanent ceasefire" following a meeting with her Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen. Cohen, on the other hand, emphasized that a cessation of fighting would currently be a "gift for Hamas".

The Gulf state of Qatar, which played a key role in brokering a seven-day ceasefire at the end of November to release hostages, confirmed on Saturday that "diplomatic efforts are underway to renew a humanitarian pause". Earlier, the news portal "Axios" had reported on a planned meeting between the Israeli Mossad intelligence director David Barnea and the Qatari head of government Mohammed ben Abdelrahmane Al-Thani.

The war between Israel and Hamas has now been going on for ten weeks. Hundreds of fighters from Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the USA, invaded Israeli towns on 7 October and committed atrocities against civilians. According to Israeli reports, more than 1130 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.

In response, the Israeli army has since bombed targets in the Gaza Strip and launched a ground offensive. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, around 18,800 people have been killed so far. According to the Israeli army, 121 soldiers have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began.

The ongoing bombardment has left large parts of the Gaza Strip in ruins, including numerous hospitals. According to a team from the World Health Organization (WHO), the emergency room of the destroyed Al-Shifa hospital in the north of the city of Gaza resembles a "bloodbath".

According to the WHO, Al-Ahli Arab Hospital is currently the only "partially functioning" hospital in the entire northern Gaza Strip. Before the war, there were 24 functioning facilities there. Israel accuses Hamas of using hospitals as hideouts, among other things, which the militant Palestinian organization denies.