After almost three months of war, UN officials describe life in the Gaza Strip as a constant struggle for survival. There is no end in sight. The new year began with attacks from both sides.
Tel Aviv/Gaza – At the beginning of the year, Israel's army is preparing for a long-term war in the Gaza Strip. “The objectives of the war require a longer fight, and we are preparing accordingly,” said army spokesman Daniel Hagari. The military must plan in advance “with the knowledge that we will have additional tasks to complete and continue to fight throughout this year.” UN officials recently described the situation in the Gaza Strip as a daily struggle for survival.
The troop deployment is now being adjusted accordingly and some reservists are being allowed to temporarily return to their families and their jobs this week, said Hagari. This will ease pressure on Israel's economy and allow reserve soldiers to “gather strength for the activities ahead” this year. The fighting would continue and the reservists would still be needed. In addition, the training of all officers is continuing.
According to the latest information from the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, 40 percent of the people in Gaza are at risk of famine. “Every day is a fight for survival, for food and water,” said UNRWA Gaza Director Thomas White.
According to the UN Emergency Relief Office, illnesses are increasing in temporary accommodation with tens of thousands of displaced people in a small space. Health services are overwhelmed. Repeated expulsions ordered by Israel made their task even more difficult.
The war in Gaza has now lasted almost three months. The trigger was the worst massacre in Israel's history, which terrorists from the Islamist Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organizations carried out in Israel on October 7th.
Israel responded with massive air strikes and began a ground offensive in late October. The goal is the complete destruction of Hamas. In view of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the sealed-off coastal area and the high number of civilian casualties, Israel has recently come under increasing international criticism. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, the number of Palestinians killed is 21,978. The figures cannot be independently verified.
Report: Israel prepares trial over Hamas massacre
Israeli investigators are currently reconstructing the October 7 massacre using around 200,000 photos and videos as well as 2,000 witness statements with the intention of initiating legal proceedings against those responsible, as the Wall Street Journal reported. It is likely to be the most important trial since the trial of the Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann in Israel in 1961. During the Nazi era, he had millions of Jews deported to extermination camps. Eichmann was sentenced to death and hanged.
Forensic evidence provided to the newspaper by Israeli officials showed, among other things, that some victims were burned alive. Photos show mutilations of the victims' bodies, including the sexual organs of men and women. The bodies of women and girls showed various signs of sexual violence. Hamas denies killing children and raping women.
29 Israeli soldiers killed by accident or friendly fire
One in six of the Israeli soldiers killed since the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip began was accidentally killed by their own comrades or in an accident. The Israeli army confirmed corresponding media reports.
This affects a total of 29 soldiers. 18 of them died as a result of friendly fire from their own troops. Two others were killed by an accidentally discharged shot and nine others by accidents involving ammunition.
Rocket alarm in Israel at the beginning of the New Year
Meanwhile, on New Year's Eve there were again rocket alarms in several cities in Israel. Sirens wailed on the border with the Gaza Strip and in the interior of the country, the army said. The armed wing of the Islamist Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for rocket attacks on the Tel Aviv area.
According to Israeli media reports, more than 20 rockets were fired towards Israel. Most were intercepted. According to the emergency services, no injuries were initially reported.
The army reported killing the commander of the Hamas “Nuchba” (English: Elite) unit in an airstrike in Deir al-Balah in the central section of the coastal strip. He was a leading participant in the terrorist attack on October 7th. There was initially no reaction from Hamas. Mutual shelling continued on Monday on Israel's border with Lebanon.
Former Palestinian minister killed
According to media reports, a former Palestinian Authority minister was also killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip. Sheikh Yussef Salama, a former minister of religious affairs and a preacher at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, was killed on Sunday in an attack on his home in the Al-Maghasi refugee district, the Pales
tinian news agency Wafa reported. Relatives of the 68-year-old were also injured. According to Palestinian sources, the minister's wife later died from her injuries.
US military helicopters sink Houthi rebel boats
Meanwhile, attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on merchant ships in the Red Sea led to a direct confrontation with the US military. The pro-Iranian group attacked a Danish container ship with small arms from four small boats and tried to get onto the ship, the responsible US regional command said. A security team on board returned fire. US forces then intervened.
“The U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense, sinking three of the four small boats and killing the crews,” it said. “The fourth boat fled the area.” There was no damage or injuries on the US side.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, the Houthis have repeatedly attacked ships with alleged Israeli connections in the Red Sea. They also repeatedly attack Israel directly with drones and missiles. dpa
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