Israeli forces shelled targets in the southern, northern and central Gaza Strip on Monday ahead of an expected announcement by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas about the fate of three Israeli hostages released in a video clip over the weekend.
Overnight Israeli airstrikes on homes in northern Gaza City killed 12 Palestinians and injured others, health officials said, while Israeli tank shelling sent smoke billowing into the sky above the main southern city of Khan Yunis. .
Hamas-affiliated Palestinian news agency SAFA reported violent clashes between Hamas militants and Israeli forces in Khan Yunis, as well as shelling by Israeli tanks near al-Bureij and al-Maghaji refugee camps in central Gaza. It was reported that there was.
At the al-Nuseirat refugee camp, local journalist Doaa El Baz showed footage of the street where she once lived.
“The whole area has been destroyed. Not a single house has been spared,” she said, standing in front of a pile of rubble.
“They killed all our dreams here. This is the house where I grew up and spent my childhood,” Baz said, his voice shaking.
Residents said communications across the narrow coastal enclave remained cut off for the fourth day in a row.
The Israeli military said in a statement that it bombed a vehicle transporting weapons in Khan Yunis, killing two Palestinian fighters, and attacked a Hamas headquarters in the city, raiding two weapons depots. Announced.
The three hostages were among about 240 people captured by Hamas militants during a surprise cross-border rampage in southern Israel on October 7.
More than 100 days have passed since the Hamas attack, which Israel says killed more than 1,200 people and triggered air and ground strikes by the Israeli military, has left much of the Gaza Strip a wasteland and killed around 10,000 people. Health officials announced that 24,100 people, most of them injured, were injured. 61,000.
Health officials announced 132 deaths in the past 24 hours, showing little sign of abating in the intensity of Israel's attacks, even as the country announced a move to a new, more targeted phase. suggested to the Palestinians.
After an initial general offensive focused on clearing the densely populated northern end of the Strip, the Israeli military announced it would devote months to more targeted operations against Hamas leaders and positions in the south.
Still, some 2 million displaced people have taken shelter in tents and other temporary accommodation amid fighting in the south, leaving this small territory vulnerable to hunger and disease due to chronic shortages of food, fuel and medicine. under threat.
hostage
Hamas on Sunday aired a video showing three Israeli hostages it is holding in the Gaza Strip, calling on the Israeli government to halt air and ground attacks and ensure the release of the hostages.
“Tomorrow (Monday) we will inform you about their fate,” the undated 37-second video of Noah Alghamani, 26, Yossi Shalabi, 53, and Itai Svirski, 38, says. It ended with the caption.
About half of the 240 hostages taken by Hamas in Israel's October 7 invasion of southern Israel were released during a brief cease-fire in November, but Israel says 132 remained in Gaza and 25 were held captive. It has been announced that he died due to
Speaking in Egypt over the weekend, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for a speedy resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, including “developing a concrete schedule and roadmap for the implementation of the 'two-state solution.'”
However, no peace talks have taken place since the final round collapsed in 2014 amid mutually contradictory demands. The Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which has been negotiating with Israel, is deeply unpopular among Palestinians, and rival Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, has vowed to: destruction of Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly ignored calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, saying it will continue until Israel achieves complete victory over Hamas and recovers the remaining hostages.
Wang, who is on a regional tour, said last week that Chinese President Xi Jinping had “in-depth communications” with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Iran. According to Xinhua news agency, China's top diplomat also met with the Secretary-General of the Arab League and expressed concerns about the Red Sea.
Houthis
Amid growing concerns about the conflict escalating in the Middle East, the US military said on Sunday that a fighter jet had shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired from Yemen's Houthi militant area at a US destroyer sailing in the southern Red Sea. Announced.
The aerial intercept is the latest incident in the Red Sea, where the Houthis have been attacking international shipping in an effort to support Palestinians besieged by Israeli forces in Gaza.
This follows a series of US and UK airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen last week, with threats of a “strong” response from Iranian-backed militias cited.
Asked on Monday if Britain would take part in further airstrikes against the Houthis, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said: “We'll see what happens…Freedom of navigation is an international right that must be protected.” said.
