Dozens of bodies were found after an Israeli operation in a neighborhood of Gaza City , reported France Press, quoted by BTA, referring to the civil defense of the Palestinian territory.
The Israeli army announced that it has ended its operations in the Shujaniya neighborhood, during which eight tunnels of “Hamas“ and eliminated dozens of terrorists, according to a statement from Israeli forces. After their withdrawal, the civil defense of the Gaza Strip announced the discovery of the “bodies of about 60 martyrs” under the ruins in the neighborhood.
85 percent of the housing in Shužania is uninhabitable. On Wednesday, Israeli forces urged its residents to evacuate. According to the UN, it is about 300,000 – 350,000 people.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army admitted it had failed to defend the kibbutz on October 7 last year when "Hamas" carried out an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, BTA reported. The army made these admissions in a report that was published after it was presented to the residents of the kibbutz, who demanded the creation of a state investigative commission.
The report describes the actions of the military during the attack. In it, the investigators, headed by a former general, claim that the army failed in its mission to protect the residents of Kibbutz Beeri.
Beeri is located about 4 kilometers east of the separation wall between Israel and the Gaza Strip. According to the document, 101 civilians were killed in Beeri, 32 people were taken hostage, of which 11 are still being held captive in the Gaza Strip. In addition, 150 houses and other buildings were destroyed in the attack, most of which were set on fire. During the fighting, 23 soldiers and 8 policemen were killed, according to the report, which specified that 340 terrorists had infiltrated the kibbutz on October 7.
In the report's findings, summarized in 11 points, the army claims it was not prepared for a mass infiltration scenario from the Gaza Strip, such as what happened on October 7, and admits there was a lack of coordination between its military in place.
"The investigation was thorough and helped kibbutz members understand the complexity of the fighting in the various sectors. We feel it is very important that the army take responsibility for its complete failure to protect us and ask for forgiveness for abandoning us for so many hours while we were subjected to an unprecedented, horrific attack,'' the kibbutz residents said in a communique.
In the statement, they want the creation of a state commission of inquiry so that the unimaginable loss of the kibbutz does not happen again.
One of the questions raised by the report is the lack of answers on several critical points, such as what led to the attack and the fact that for hours the military stationed outside the kibbutz did not go inside to fight with the armed men of "Hamas" while the kibbutz was burning and the residents were begging for help.
One of the most dramatic incidents that took place during the fighting resulted in the death of 13 people taken hostage in the house of a resident of Beeri, which was targeted by an Israeli tank. Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a televised address this evening that the majority of the hostages had been killed by the terrorists and that the military had been negotiating with the kidnappers before firing on the house. However, he admitted that Beeri residents had to defend themselves and fight alone for seven hours, thus confirming accounts of the inaction of hundreds of soldiers who waited for orders.
Nearly 1,200 people died in the October 7 attack. 251 people were kidnapped, of which 116 are still in Gaza. Of these, 42 are dead, according to the army.
In response to this attack, Israel promised to destroy "Hamas" and launched a military offensive against the Gaza Strip that has so far killed 38,345 people, according to the health ministry of the enclave, which has been ruled by Hamas since 2007.
"This first investigation does not reflect everything that happened that day, but it clearly illustrates the extent of the failure and inaction that befell the residents of southern Israel who protected their families with their own bodies for many hours , while the army was not there to protect them," the Israeli army chief of staff concluded in the report.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that it will not be possible for NATO to continue its partnership with the Israeli authorities, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
„Until a comprehensive and sustainable peace is established in Palestine, attempts to cooperate with Israel within the framework of NATO will not be approved by Turkey,”, Erdogan said during a press conference at the high-level meeting of the alliance in Washington.< /p>
He added that his country will continue diplomatic efforts to end the Russian-Ukrainian war.
At the same time, Erdogan said he had instructed his Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to begin restoring relations with the Arab republic.
Commenting on the possible sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, Erdogan said that he had spoken with his American counterpart, Joe Biden, who told him that he would solve the problem “in 3-4 weeks”.