فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Gaza: The Israeli occupation army announced on Saturday an expansion of its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip with the stated goal of “defeating Hamas,” following days of intense shelling that has killed dozens in the devastated and famine-stricken enclave. Palestinian rescue teams reported that ten people were killed Saturday morning due to Israeli bombardment.
This escalation comes despite growing international criticism of Israel’s conduct of the conflict and the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the Palestinian territories. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had warned on Monday of an “imminent forceful entry” of the army into Gaza “to complete the operation and defeat Hamas,” whose attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, triggered the war.
Shortly after the conclusion of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tour in the Gulf, where he expressed concern over hunger in the Palestinian territory, the Israeli army stated that “over the past day, it has launched extensive strikes and transferred forces to take control of areas in the Gaza Strip.” The army added in a social media statement early Saturday: “This is part of the initial steps… of expanding the offensive in the Gaza Strip, with the aim of achieving all war objectives, including the release of hostages and the defeat of Hamas.”
The plan, announced by the Netanyahu government in early May, envisions a long-term Israeli military presence in Gaza – from which Israel unilaterally withdrew in 2005 – at the cost of displacing “most” of its 2.4 million inhabitants towards the far south of the territory.
In the same context, Gaza’s Civil Defense reported that ten people were killed on Saturday morning by Israeli raids in Jabalia (north) and Khan Younis (south). According to this rescue organization, Israeli bombardments killed at least 100 people on Friday, the same number on Thursday, and over 80 on Wednesday.
Marwan Sultan, director of the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia, near Jabalia, described the situation to AFP as “tragic and catastrophic” after a bombardment occurred nearby on Saturday morning. He explained that the hospital is overwhelmed with patients and wounded and suffers from a severe shortage of “blood units, medications, and medical and surgical supplies” to the point where it “can no longer admit critical cases.”
The day before, AFP images showed residents, including children who had lost their mothers, lamenting over the bodies of their loved ones inside the hospital, and wounded being treated on the floor amidst cries and tears.
The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official data. Of the 251 people abducted at the time, 57 remain held in Gaza, including 34 declared dead by the army.
Israeli retaliation has resulted in at least 53,119 deaths in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the latest data from the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, which the UN considers reliable.
On Friday, the main Israeli association for families of hostages called on Benjamin Netanyahu not to miss a “historic opportunity” for the release of their relatives, expressing concern over the army’s “intensification of attacks.” However, the Prime Minister insists that only increased military pressure will compel the Palestinian Islamist movement, which has governed Gaza since 2007, to release its captives.
Since March 2, Israeli forces have also been blocking all vital humanitarian aid to Gaza’s 2.4 million inhabitants, accusing Hamas of diverting it.
At the end of his tour in the Gulf, the U.S. President affirmed: “We are interested in Gaza. And we are going to make sure that it gets handled. A lot of people are starving.” Following this, Hamas called on Washington to pressure the Netanyahu government to allow humanitarian aid to enter.
According to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, “this latest wave of bombs forcing people to move (…), the systematic destruction of entire neighborhoods, and the denial of humanitarian assistance underline that there appears to be a push for a permanent demographic change in Gaza which… amounts to ethnic cleansing.”
In a related context, a US- and Israeli-backed NGO, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, announced that it is preparing to distribute humanitarian aid in Gaza at the end of the month. However, the United Nations ruled out any participation in this initiative, citing issues of “impartiality, neutrality, and independence.”
The war in Gaza is on the agenda of an Arab summit held in Baghdad on Saturday, where the issue of reconstructing the devastated Palestinian territory is expected to be addressed.
