Monday, October 7, 2024, 9:24 p.m.
The sirens sounded this Monday at 6:29 a.m. in Israel, during the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks. Its sound signaled the moment in which the terrorists surpassed the Gaza fence and broke into the Jewish agricultural communities with blood and fire. Then, later, they were activated three more times in Tel Aviv and Haifa, but this time to announce the arrival of rockets fired by pro-Iran militias from Gaza, Yemen and Lebanon.
A year after what was considered the Israeli ‘9/11’, with 1,200 dead and more than 200 kidnapped, Benjamin Netanyahu did not assume any responsibility and limited himself to saying that “we are changing the reality of security in our region for the good of our children, for the sake of our future, to ensure that what happened on October 7 does not happen again. On this day of tributes, the prime minister proposed renaming the military operation in Gaza the “war of resurrection.”
Back at the site of the massacre a year later
Netanyahu is pressing ahead with his strategy of maximum use of force on all fronts. He remained oblivious to the cries of the families of the hostages who, on the occasion of the anniversary, gathered in front of his residence in Jerusalem to ask once again for a ceasefire that would allow their loved ones to return home.
On this day, the army launched the third ground operation in Jabalia, the largest refugee camp in Gaza. He also gave the order to evacuate the entire north of the Strip, launched harsh bombardments on Beirut and deployed a new division to the south of Lebanon to advance with greater force in the invasion of the neighboring country. All this with the foreseeable response to Iran for the launch of 181 missiles on everyone’s minds.
Israeli television stations made special programs from the vicinity of the Strip and located their sets in the place where the techno music festival attacked by Islamists was held. There, numerous family members and friends of the deceased celebrated a heartfelt ceremony.
In the main cities there were tributes. Pain. I respect. In Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park, the names of all the victims of the massacre and the soldiers who died in this year of war were read. Before all that, at 6:29 a.m., tens of thousands of Israelis stood in solemn silence. Some televisions and radios also interrupted the broadcast.
New deployment
The sky had not roared due to Hamas rockets since August 13. The militants saved some projectiles for this important day and launched them from the center of the Strip in the direction of Tel Aviv. A symbolic operation for the militia that, according to the army, no longer has a military structure after eleven months under fire from land, sea and air.
On the northern front, Hezbollah launched more than a hundred projectiles at Haifa, some surpassed the defense system and at least ten people were injured. Former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman called for the occupation of southern Lebanon until the threat of the Shiite militia is eradicated and the army reported the deployment of a new division, which means that the “limited operation” is becoming more important every day.
The bombing intensified along the border and the evacuation of twenty other towns was ordered. It was one of the hardest days from the air. Israel used 100 aircraft and attacked 120 targets, establishing a curtain of fire from the coast to the interior. Hezbollah reports every day of hand-to-hand combat and its successes in stopping the enemy advance, but Israeli soldiers share images from inside towns considered strongholds of the Party of God.
Goal, survive
The military power of both sides is incomparable and Israel applies the Gaza strategy of destroying entire populations from the air before the troops enter. After the blows received in the last two weeks and having lost Hasan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, surviving this clash with Israel is the goal of the pro-Iran militia.
The United Nations troops (UNIFIL) remain in their positions, but things are getting complicated day by day. Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for the UN peacekeeping force, told Al-Jazeera that “in recent days we have seen intense bombing throughout the area of operations. “The fact that Israeli troops have come very close to the position of the Irish contingent is also a cause for concern.” The blue helmets are in the middle of the crossfire, but they stay “because we want the UN flag to fly in all these positions close to the Blue Line.”
Alarms about the risk of total war in the region were noted during the October 7 anniversary. Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, said that “it is time to be brave and close an agreement that provides a ceasefire and a respite for the people of Gaza, Lebanon, Israel and the region in general.”
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, joined the call for an “immediate ceasefire on all fronts” because “the situation is only getting worse. “People are more insecure than ever and trapped in an endless cycle of violence, hatred and revenge.” The problem is that the UN and the EU have no influence whatsoever in a territory on the verge of the abyss where Netanyahu has the last word.
#Israel #remembers #victims #October #fire #proIranian #militias #Basque #Journal