Israel has reached a new milestone. Since Saturday, his army has increased and expanded its ground operations with men and tanks. Ground troops advance to the north and target Hamas' underground network. At the same time, airstrikes are more massive than ever. Let's take stock.
What happened last night?
The fighting has intensified further. The Israeli military said Monday that its forces had killed "dozens of terrorists" in overnight clashes in the Gaza Strip, which was relentlessly shelled in response to the bloody attack carried out on October 7 by the Palestinian Islamist movement in Israel. Hamas also reported "intense fighting" in the northern Gaza Strip for the third night.
Israel is "gradually advancing as planned" in the Gaza Strip, chief military spokesman Daniel Hagari said at a press briefing on Monday.
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What were the targets?
The IDF is targeting Hamas fighters and the underground network. The Israeli military said its troops had killed "dozens of terrorists who barricaded themselves in buildings and tunnels and tried to attack them." One plane, guided by soldiers on the ground, targeted a building "with more than 20 Hamas terrorists inside."
Another target was an anti-tank missile launch site in the area of Al-Azhar University. Located in the heart of Gaza City, the faculty has been at the center of Israel's attacks since October 7.
In recent days, "more than 600 terrorist targets," including weapons depots, have been targeted, the Israeli military said. Among them, "dozens of anti-tank missile launch positions", as well as "caches (...) used by the Hamas terror organization," it said in a statement.
But civilians do not seem to be spared. An Al-Jazeera reporter reported on "another night of intense shelling" in Gaza. In Khan Younis, "at least 14,000 people" have sought refuge at Al-Quds hospital, he said. However, "all the residential buildings around the Al-Quds hospital – more than a dozen – were either destroyed or suffered significant damage because they were targeted by Israel" on Sunday.
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What happens now?
The Gaza Strip could be cut in two. Israeli tanks entered the al-Zeitoun neighborhood on the edge of Gaza City on Monday, cutting off the main road between the north and south of the enclave, witnesses said. "They have cut off the road to Salah ad-Din (connecting north to south) and are shooting at any vehicle that is on it," one of them told AFP. Palestinian media are also reported to report that Israeli forces have taken control of a section of the road. A piece of information that Le Parisien is not able to verify.
Meanwhile, Al-Quds Hospital in Khan Younis is reportedly under threat from an Israeli attack, after medical staff were ordered to evacuate, Al-Jazeera reports. The day before, its surroundings had already been destroyed. "We have received threats" from Israel to "immediately evacuate the hospital because it was going to be bombed," AFP quoted hospital director Bashar Mourad as saying.
"We reiterate that it is impossible to evacuate hospitals full of patients without putting their lives at risk," said World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Some displaced people, who had taken refuge in the hospital, are sleeping outside the building, on the forecourt of the entrance, as shown in this video by a journalist from France 24.
Video taken in front of Al-Quds Hospital, the headquarters of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Gaza, where displaced people often shelter and sleep on the floor, in corridors and outside the building. pic.twitter.com/gd6rYT3Icm
— Antoine Mariotti (@antoinemariotti) October 30, 2023
The NGO Palestinian Red Crescent confirms that it has received "strong threats from the Israeli occupation forces to immediately evacuate Al-Quds hospital because it would be bombed," reports Hala Abou-Hassira, the Palestinian ambassador to France.
Red 🇵🇸 Crescent: We have received strong threats from the occupying 🇮🇱forces to immediately evacuate Al-Quds Hospital in the #Gaza Strip because it will be bombed. Since the morning, the area around Al-Quds Hospital has been the scene of continuous raids that have been carried out by the police. https://t.co/xZHWyaDAei
— Hala Abou-Hassira (@HalaAbouHassira) October 29, 2023
The Israeli army considers that Hamas has built its underground military infrastructure by prioritizing areas where hospitals, mosques and schools are located, according to Le Monde.