Israel continues its fight against Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip. UNRWA director Lazzarini calls the area a “hell on earth.” In addition, Israel is reportedly considering a war with Hezbollah.
Khan Yunis, the largest city in the southern Gaza Strip, remains a focal point of the Israeli ground offensive. The army reports heavy fighting on the ground and continues to conduct heavy airstrikes to support the operation. According to military sources, around 250 targets in the Gaza Strip were attacked last night. The civilian casualty numbers continue to rise.
The Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis is one of the largest clinics in the Gaza Strip. It is designed to accommodate a maximum of 1,000 patients, but currently there are 3,500, said hospital spokesperson Marwan Fayed to Reuters: “The heavy Israeli bombardment is causing many casualties. All the departments’ beds are full.” Because the wards are overcrowded, patients have to be treated in the hallways. “Some are lying in beds, others on the floor.”
Netanyahu thanks the US for vetoing the UN resolution
Humanitarian aid continues to have limited access to the Palestinian territory, and due to the ongoing conflict, many in need are not receiving the aid that does get in. Philippe Lazzarini, director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), now refers to the Gaza Strip as a “hell on earth.” He also demands an immediate ceasefire.
However, that does not seem to be the case. Israel will continue its “just war” against Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. He also thanked the US for vetoing a resolution in the UN Security Council that called for a ceasefire.
Experts expect months of fighting
According to Israeli experts, the fighting in the Gaza Strip will remain intense for weeks and continue overall for months. “We can’t stand by with a stopwatch because we have time,” said Tamir Heymann, director of the Institute for National Security Studies, on Channel 12 TV. “The Americans are giving us all the time we need as long as we allow humanitarian aid in. But we need to start thinking about how we want to proceed after we still have the time.”
The US government is seeking a solution in the Gaza Strip that also considers the rights of the Palestinian civilian population for the post-conflict period. For Israel, the security of its own population is a priority.
More rockets from Lebanon
This also applies to the northern border with Lebanon. Almost daily there is mutual shelling between the Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon and the Israeli army. “We may have to fight a war in the north once the fighting in the Gaza Strip is over,” said Zachi Hanegbi, Israel’s national security advisor, in an interview with Channel 12.
“We do not want to fight on two fronts, and everyone knows that,” he conceded. “We have conveyed to the Americans that we are not interested in a war there. But we have no choice but to create a new reality in the north as long as Hezbollah remains as it has shown so far: provocative, dangerous, and defiant.”
In the morning, there was another rocket alarm in the Israeli border area with Lebanon. According to Israeli media reports, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the shelling. Israel’s army responded with attacks on targets in Lebanon.