Israel is expanding its offensive in Gaza City, the Israeli army confirmed. The goal is clearly to crush Hamas' resistance and take away their last refuge. What is known.
"Gaza is burning", announced Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. The Israeli army is striking with an "iron fist" at the terrorist infrastructure," he added. According to local media, Israeli tanks have entered Gaza City after large-scale air strikes. The assault on the enclave's largest city is yet another escalation in the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has already said that capturing the city is key to defeating Hamas, the terrorist group that attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. It is believed that about 20 of the hostages are still alive and being held captive. Now, the organization of the hostages' relatives has expressed its concerns that last night may have been “the last for the hostages”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has deliberately decided “to sacrifice them for political reasons” after 710 days in captivity, they added.
Israel orders nearly a million Palestinians to evacuate
Last Tuesday, Israel launched airstrikes on the Qatari capital Doha, targeting Hamas leaders. On the same day, Netanyahu also ordered the evacuation of Gaza City. According to the Israeli newspaper “Jerusalem Post“ 300,000 Gaza residents have left, while 700,000 are still in the city, located on the Mediterranean coast. The Israeli army has called for immediate evacuation. “Gaza City is considered a dangerous war zone and staying in the area puts you at risk”, the Israeli armed forces wrote.
Genocide in Gaza?
At the same time, international criticism of Israel is growing. Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, an independent commission of inquiry at the UN Human Rights Council announced, quoted by DPA. The experts pointed out that Israel is killing civilians, blocking humanitarian aid, systematically destroying health and educational institutions and attacking religious sites.
According to data from the Hamas-controlled health authorities in Gaza, more than 64,000 residents of the enclave have died as a result of Israeli military operations. The UN and a number of other international organizations assess these data as credible.
„This is very dangerous“
Criticism of the Israeli actions also comes from the military in the country itself. „This is abnormal. I think it is a mistake“, says Hezi Nehama, a former commander in the Israeli army. He tells ARD that the Israeli army has never fought in such a densely populated area. „This is very dangerous. Hamas is hiding among the population. "He doesn't let them leave and uses them as human shields," says Nehama. According to him, many civilian casualties can be expected.
The military leadership has also spoken out against the operation in Gaza City, writes ARD correspondent Jörg Popendik. But it has never managed to impose its opinion. Israel's Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has repeatedly warned that the operation would put the lives of the hostages in serious danger.
But the Israeli army has been bombing Gaza City for days. All this is happening on the orders of the army's commander-in-chief, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Military experts warn that Israel's strategy seems unclear and chaotic. Gaza City is too big and the number of soldiers too small for a successful operation, says Julian Werner of the German Bundeswehr University in Munich.
“Israeli society does not want a long-term occupation of Gaza“
John Spencer, considered one of the leading experts on urban warfare, also points out that Israel does not have enough soldiers for such an operation. However, he believes that the attempt to take away Hamas' last refuge is right. “The fact that five divisions are being used is a clear sign that Israel is determined to take control of Gaza City.“
However, it is unlikely that the Israeli army will stay there for long and occupy the city. “Israeli society does not want that and it cannot succeed with reservists who are only mobilized for a certain period of time.“ Yet Spencer says: “The operation will destroy Hamas' last refuge. Then they will hold significantly worse cards in their hands.“
Former Brigadier General Hezi Nehama rejects this idea. He has a completely different proposal: the army should first ensure that the civilian population of Gaza City can leave the city and move to a safe zone with enough food. Then Israel should cut off the city's water supply and starve them out, rather than fighting them, he suggests. "We are besieging the city where Hamas is located. I believe that in three weeks at the latest, thousands of terrorists will come to the checkpoints because they are thirsty. This is the only way to defeat Hamas," he says.
At the same time, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that time is running out to reach an agreement. "The only thing worse than war is a war that goes on forever," Rubio, who is visiting Qatar, said. “At some point Hamas has to be neutralized and we hope that can be done through negotiations. But I think unfortunately time is running out.“