Reports: Israel wants to destroy Hamas tunnel - and tests flooding with seawater

War in the Middle East - Reports: Israel wants to destroy Hamas tunnel - and tests flooding with seawater

While the UN General Assembly is calling for an immediate ceasefire due to the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli armed forces are testing the flooding of the Islamist Hamas tunnels, according to US media reports.

Seawater is being pumped into some tunnels to find out whether the method is suitable for large-scale destruction of the underground system, reported the US television station CNN and the newspaper "The Wall Street Journal".

A resolution introduced by Egypt for a humanitarian ceasefire achieved the necessary two-thirds majority at the United Nations General Assembly in New York yesterday. 153 countries voted in favor, 10 against. 23 countries abstained, including Germany. UN General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, but are considered symbolic.

Hamas tunnels to be 500 kilometers long

Most recently, Israel's Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi described the idea of flooding the extensive Hamas tunnel system with seawater as a good idea. According to the Israeli military, Hamas has built an extensive tunnel system under the Gaza Strip. It is estimated to be around 500 kilometers long. However, the Israeli army assumes that many of the 135 hostages still kidnapped from Israel are also being held in the tunnels.

At a press conference on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden was asked about the flooding. He replied: "It's very difficult as far as the flooding of the tunnels is concerned: it is claimed that there are certainly no hostages in these tunnels. But I don't know that for sure." He then added: "What I do know for sure is that every civilian death is an absolute tragedy."

The Gaza war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history, carried out by terrorists from the Islamist Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7 in Israel near the border with Gaza. More than 1,200 people were killed on the Israeli side as a result, including at least 850 civilians.

Abstention: Germany "faced with a difficult decision"

The UN resolution presented Germany with "a difficult decision", as the Federal Foreign Office announced on the short messaging service X, formerly Twitter. "We want to end the unbearable suffering of the people - in Israel and in Gaza".

The resolution calls for a "blanket ceasefire, but does not say why Israel is forced to defend itself: Because Hamas barbarically attacked Israel on Oct. 7. And because Hamas wants to continue destroying Israel." That is why Germany could not agree - but because it wanted to work to end the suffering of the Palestinians, it could not vote against it either.

Die heutige Abstimmung zur #Ceasefire-Resolution in der #UNGA stellt uns vor eine schwere Entscheidung. Denn wir wollen das unerträgliche Leid der Menschen beenden - in Israel und in Gaza. 1/4

— Auswärtiges Amt (@AuswaertigesAmt) December 12, 2023

Israel attacks targets in Lebanon and Syria

The Israeli air force said it had attacked positions of the Shiite militia Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon. A fighter jet bombed a launch base and military infrastructure after rockets and mortar shells were fired at Israel from there, the military announced at night. In response to shelling from Syria, Israeli aircraft and tanks also fired on positions of the Syrian armed forces.

At the same time, US President Joe Biden called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to change the Israeli government in order to find a long-term solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The "most conservative government in the history of Israel" does not want a two-state solution. Israel is beginning to lose support around the world. Biden had previously promised Israel further support in the fight against Hamas. His "commitment to the security of the Jewish people" was unwavering.

Trudeau in favor of a permanent ceasefire

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in favor of a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza war. This is what he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a telephone conversation, Trudeau's office announced. Trudeau expressed his support for urgent international efforts to achieve a permanent ceasefire. He also emphasized Israel's right to defend itself in accordance with international law.

Following a visit to the sealed-off coastal strip, Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the Palestinian Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), posted on X (formerly Twitter): "People are everywhere, they live on the streets, they need everything." They pleaded for safety. "Our colleagues are being asked to do the impossible in an impossible situation." According to the United Nations, half of the population in the Gaza Strip is now starving.

According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Al-Ahli hospital in the city of Gaza resembles a humanitarian disaster zone. The hospital can only occupy 40 of its 80 beds, but has more than 200 patients, reported Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO representative for the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel. Doctors were treating seriously injured patients, some of them on the ground and on the sidewalk.

Ministry: death toll rises to 18,400

According to the health authority in Gaza, the number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war has risen to 18,412. More than 50,000 other people have been injured, the ministry announced. The figures cannot be verified at present, but the UN and other observers point out that the authority's figures have proved to be generally credible in the past.

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The proposed United Nations General Assembly resolution for a humanitarian ceasefire received support from 153 countries, with Germany abstaining due to a difficult decision-making process. The US President, Joe Biden, was asked about the flood testing of Hamas tunnels in Israel, expressing concern over civilian casualties. Israel's Chief of General Staff, Herzi Halevi, supported the idea of flooding the extensive Hamas tunnel system with seawater, as estimated to be around 500 kilometers long.

The flooding method was tested in some tunnels using seawater, according to US media reports, with the Israeli army assuming many hostages kidnapped from Israel may be held in the tunnels. The Israeli air force also carried out attacks on positions of the Shiite militia Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon, following rocket and mortar shelling from the group.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza war, expressing support for urgent international efforts to achieve peace. The health authority in Gaza reported that the number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war had risen to 18,412, with over 50,000 people injured.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden voiced concerns over the "most conservative government in the history of Israel" not wanting a two-state solution, potentially leading to Israel losing support around the world. He had previously promised further support to Israel in the fight against Hamas, maintaining an unwavering commitment to the security of the Jewish people.

Egypt's proposal for a humanitarian ceasefire achieved a two-thirds majority at the United Nations General Assembly, with 153 countries voting in favor, 10 against, and 23 countries abstaining, including Germany.

Source: www.stern.de