Israel's military claims to have cut off the passage from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip after encircling its capital

The Gaza war will be "long and difficult", as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Wednesday after the death of at least 15 soldiers in fighting in the enclave, but it seems to be advancing faster than expected, army commanders have assured the Hebrew press defense analysts. In the midst of the confusion caused by the so-called "fog of war", aimed at confusing the enemy, Israeli troops have already cut off the passage between the north and south of the Palestinian coastal territory after having encircled the Gazan capital with an enveloping movement of tanks and infantry forces. Since 7 September, when Hamas militias killed 1,400 Israelis and kidnapped 220 others, the armed forces have attacked 11,000 targets in Gaza. Since then, the Gaza Strip's health ministry has counted nearly 8,800 deaths, nearly 3,650 of them minors.

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It is difficult to verify these reports with the territory of Gaza closed to the foreign press and telephone or internet communications cut off for the second time since Friday, and restored on Sunday, due to the damage suffered to the international liaison center of the Palmel company. The deaths of dozens of people in Tuesday's Israeli attack on Jabalia, a former tented refugee camp erected in 1948 that has been transformed into a slum on the northern outskirts of Gaza City, the capital of the Gaza Strip, is one of the deadliest tolls of the conflict in a densely populated residential area. Qatari television channel Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday a new Israeli bombardment with casualties in the Fallujah district of Jabalia. Sources in the Palestinian emergency services confirmed to Agence France Presse that there had been a new bombardment in the largest refugee camp in the north of the enclave. The Islamic resistance movement, which also blamed Israel for the new air raid on an urban area, said seven of those killed in Tuesday's attack were hostages captured in Israel, including three on foreign passports. Faced with increased attacks on civilian areas, Jordan recalled its ambassador in Tel Aviv for consultations on Wednesday.

Military spokesmen announced that the ground offensive in Gaza has been reinforced on Wednesday with joint operations with naval and air forces. Troops on the ground are almost instantaneously pinpointing targets from artillery, aviation and warships. The Armed Forces claim to have destroyed observation posts, anti-tank missile units and rocket launch pads. On the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, "hand-to-hand combat" was concentrated against underground command centers of the Ezzedin al-Qassam militia, Hamas' armed wing, according to the military's chief spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. On Tuesday, nine soldiers were killed when a Kornet missile hit the armored vehicle in which they were traveling inside the Gaza Strip. Two others were killed when their tank ran over an explosive device. At least four more have been killed in combat on Wednesday.

Missile ships in the Red Sea

Israel has also bolstered security in the Red Sea with the deployment of missile ships, following Tuesday's threat in the resort city of Eilat. Air defense systems intercepted two missiles and a drone directed from Yemen by the pro-Iranian Houthi militia against the southern resort of the country, where more than 60,000 Israelis have taken refuge from areas near the borders with Gaza and Lebanon. The Houthi rebels have broadcast images of the firing of missiles and suicide drones aimed at Israel through the Yemeni television channel Al Masirah.

In hospitals in the Palestinian strip, the humanitarian situation has worsened in recent hours as fuel reserves for electricity generators are on the verge of running out in large centers such as the Shifa health complex in the capital of the enclave. The Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, the only one in Gaza that treats cancer patients, has stopped working after running out of fuel and suffering damage from Israeli attacks in recent days.

On the northern front, an unidentified Lebanese armed group has tried to launch several anti-tank missiles from Lebanese territory into Israel, but was neutralized by an Israeli tank, according to the Israeli military. In addition, another Lebanese armed group opened fire from Lebanon into Israeli territory in the Jiftah area without causing any casualties, the Israeli military said, adding that troops opened fire in the area where the shots originated. The border between Lebanon and Israel is experiencing its most tense moment since 2006, when Israeli troops and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah fought a 34-day war.

Although this escalation is still considered "low intensity", the death toll is also unprecedented since 2006, most of them in the ranks of Hezbollah. Since October 8, at least 71 people have died on both sides of the Blue Line, the border established by the UN after the last war, according to the Efe news agency. In Lebanon, at least 63 people have been killed: 49 members of Hezbollah, six members of Palestinian militias who have also launched some attacks, and eight civilians, including a Reuters cameraman; while on the Israeli side the casualties are seven soldiers and one civilian.

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