Israeli tanks and troops are now pushing on the northern edges of Gaza City, pounding neighborhoods with heavy shelling and drone fire, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signals he is ready to greenlight a long-planned offensive to seize Gazas largest population center.
On Wednesday, Israeli forces rolled into the Ebad-Alrahman neighborhood on Gaza Citys northern flank, blasting homes and sending panicked residents fleeing deeper into the city. All of a sudden, we heard that the tanks pushed in, said Saad Abed, 60. The explosions grew louder and louder If no truce is reached, we will see the tanks outside our homes.
Another resident, Tala al-Khatib, 29, described an overnight of relentless airstrikes: Warplanes struck several times, and drones fired throughout the night. Wherever you flee, death follows you.
As the battle grinds on, the IDF is urging civilians to flee before the assault begins in earnest. In a fiery video message, Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDFs Arabic-language spokesman, dismissed claims that Gazas south cannot absorb more people.
The evacuation of residents from Gaza City is inevitable, he said, pointing to open areas in Al-Mawasi and central refugee camps that, he claimed, are empty of tents and ready to receive evacuees.
The IDF says it is racing to add two new humanitarian aid centers in southern Gaza, boosting the total to five, as hundreds of thousands continue to flee. UN figures estimate more than 800,000 Gazans have been displaced since the collapse of the March ceasefire.
The military push comes as Netanyahus government rejects international pleas for a phased hostage release deal with Hamas. Israel insists only a total surrender of hostages and Hamass disarmament will bring the war to an end.
Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter doubled down in an interview with CNNs Jake Tapper: Were looking at what the possibilities are for a ceasefire and a temporary deal, but it has to be very clear it ends when Hamas ends.
Leiter warned against partial hostage deals, arguing they could doom captives left behind: Well get a few out now, and were never going to see the rest again. He lashed out at Hamass foreign backers, blasting Turkey and Qatar for sheltering the groups leaders. Where the hell is Erdogan? Why are Hamas leaders sitting in Qatar right now?
Inside Gaza, Israeli forces are intensifying attacks on Hamas strongholds. The IDF said its 99th Division destroyed multiple Hamas observation posts in the past 24 hours, while the 162nd Division fought gunmen in Jabalia. Meanwhile, the 36th Division, backed by air power, struck Khan Younis in the south, killing several operatives and smashing Hamas naval weapons facilities.
In a targeted strike, Israel said it eliminated Mahmoud al-Asoud, commander of Hamass General Security Apparatus in western Gaza, accusing him of orchestrating militant operations during the war.
And in a sign of lessons learned from the grinding urban campaign, the IDF announced it had created a brand-new engineering battalion under the Givati Brigade to dismantle tunnels and terror infrastructure on the front lines.
But Israels offensive has come at a heavy diplomatic cost. This week, a strike on the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis killed at least 20 people including five journalists drawing fierce condemnation.
The IDF admitted it had targeted a Hamas surveillance camera on hospital grounds but insisted that six of the dead were militants. Still, international fury has grown. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, once a staunch supporter of Israels war, declared the strike unjustifiable and accused Israel of crossing the line of proportionality.
We cannot remain silent in the face of too many innocent victims, she said, pointedly noting the deaths of Christians in Gaza.
Israels UN Ambassador Danny Danon said more details about the hospital strike will be released in the next few days, insisting, Our goal is to fight terrorists, not journalists.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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One Response
“Israeli forces rolled in…. blasting homes and sending panicked residents fleeing…. wherever you flee, death follows you”
YWN when you copy and paste such disgustingly inflammatory and defamatory reporting like that, the LEAST you can do is attribute it to its source – AP, right??
And maybe you could think about not parroting such massive motsi shem ra on Israel to begin with..?