Israel’s army chief, Herzi Halevi, has stated that the current conflict between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza is expected to persist for an extended period. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also cautioned that the military campaign is far from reaching its conclusion.
Israel has reported striking over 100 targets on Tuesday and is purportedly expanding ground operations to central Gaza. According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, the fighting has resulted in the deaths of 20,915 Palestinians over a span of more than 11 weeks. The conflict commenced on 7th October following a series of deadly attacks by Hamas on Israeli communities.
The United Nations has cited that approximately 1.9 million people have been internally displaced by Israeli airstrikes since the onset of the conflict. Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for the UN Palestinian refugee agency (Unwra), conveyed concerns regarding reports of hunger and starvation in some areas, compounded by the ongoing warfare, displacement, and overcrowding of UN shelters.
Approximately 1,200 individuals, predominantly civilians, succumbed to the attacks that transpired on 7 October. Furthermore, around 240 individuals were forcibly removed to Gaza as captives, with Israel asserting that 132 remain in their custody. Prime Minister Netanyahu conveyed to parliament on Monday, “We cannot secure the release of all abductees without engaging in military action… our pursuit of military efforts will persist without cessation.”
Reports from Israeli and Arab media outlets indicate that Egypt has put forth a ceasefire proposal. The proposal, as outlined, entails the phased release of all Israeli captives and an unspecified number of Palestinian detainees currently held in Israeli penitentiaries, ultimately culminating in the suspension of Israel’s military offensive.
A prior interim truce agreement orchestrated by Qatar resulted in the release of numerous captives from Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. To date, both Israel and Hamas have rebuffed appeals for a lasting cessation of hostilities. Meanwhile, Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer has traveled to Washington for discussions with Mr. Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. The deliberations are slated to center on “matters pertaining to the conflict in Gaza and the repatriation of captives held by Hamas,” as relayed by National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson.
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