Status: 29.10.2023, 06:07 a.m.
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An Israeli mobile artillery unit can be seen in a position near the border between Israel and Gaza. © Tsafrir Abayov/AP/dpa
The Gaza war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas has entered the next phase. The situation for civilians is getting worse. The fate of the hostages is a cause for concern. The overview.
Tel Aviv/Gaza - Israel's military is intensifying its attacks on the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip on the ground and from the air. From the air, on land and at sea," Israel's army spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a video published by the military on Sunday night on Platform X - formerly Twitter. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) called on both sides to immediately de-escalate the situation in view of the catastrophic situation for the people of Gaza. The expansion of Israeli ground operations also complicates Qatar's mediation efforts to release the more than 220 hostages, said the foreign minister of the Gulf emirate, which has close ties to Hamas.
Qatar: Escalation makes hostage efforts 'more difficult'
The massive air strikes of recent weeks have dealt a "heavy blow" to Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening. "However, we are only at the beginning," he stressed. The war will be "difficult and protracted". The aim is to destroy Hamas' military capabilities, end its rule over the Gaza Strip and return the hostages.
Qatar and Egypt are involved as mediators in efforts to secure the release of hostages kidnapped by Palestinian extremists. Prior to the expansion of ground operations in the coastal area sealed off by Israel, there had been reports of alleged progress in these efforts. However, Majed Al-Ansari, spokesman for Qatar's Foreign Ministry, told CNN on Saturday that the escalation on the ground now makes the situation "considerably more difficult".
Exactly how many hostages are being held in the Gaza Strip is not clear beyond doubt. As of Saturday, the families of 230 abductees had been informed, according to the Israeli army. According to the military, this does not include the four hostages already released by Hamas. At a meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, representatives of the relatives demanded that all Palestinian prisoners be released from Israeli jails in exchange for the hostages kidnapped from Israel.
Red Cross calls for immediate de-escalation
The Israeli army, meanwhile, once again urged those remaining in the north of the Gaza Strip to seek safety in the south of the densely populated coastal area. The "window of opportunity" is closing quickly, they said. The army also announced on Saturday that it would allow an increase in humanitarian aid deliveries to the Palestinian population. "We are expanding humanitarian aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip who have gone to the area south of Wadi Gaza," army spokesman Hagari said.
Aid organizations complained that the failure of almost all telephone and internet connections made it even more difficult to help. There is panic and chaos. "I am shocked by the intolerable extent of human suffering and call on the parties to the conflict to de-escalate now," ICRC chief Mirjana Spoljaric wrote on X. "This is a catastrophic failure that the world cannot accept."
Saudi Arabia condemns "any ground offensives" by Israel
Saudi Arabia condemned "any ground offensives" by Israel in the Gaza Strip. The Islamic kingdom spoke of a "blatant breach and an unjustified violation of international law." Saudi Arabia is an important protector of the Palestinians and has been an enemy of Israel for decades. Before the start of the Gaza war, there were many indications of a possible normalization of relations under the mediation of the United States. In the wake of the renewed escalation of the conflict, Riyadh has halted talks on a possible normalization.
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Rocket Attacks from Gaza on Israeli Cities Continue
Palestinian extremists continued to fire rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israeli cities on Saturday. Warning sirens wailed several times in Israeli villages in the border area. There was also another rocket alert in the Tel Aviv area, as well as in the coastal city of Ashkelon. Clashes also resumed on Israel's border with Lebanon. Several anti-tank missiles and mortar shells were fired from Lebanon into Israel, Israel's army said. They fired back and attacked positions of the Hezbollah militia. Hezbollah, like Hamas, is allied with Israel's arch-enemy Iran.
What will be important on Sunday
Despite the expansion of the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, efforts to free the hostages abducted by Hamas continue. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is becoming increasingly catastrophic. Dpa