Israeli Defense Minister and the former commander of the “Southern Command” of the Israeli occupation army, Yuav Gallant, said Israel intends to carry out a more concentrated targeting on the northern part of the Gaza Strip and the targeting of Hamas leaders in southern Gaza.
Gallant’s office said the battles in northern Gaza will be based on “military achievements on the ground,” and would be the base for later preliminary stages to be implanted “based on that achievement.”
كاميرا الجزيرة توثّق وصول عدد من الشهداء والمصابين من الأطفال إلى مستشفى ناصر في خانيونس جنوبي قطاع #غزة#حرب_غزة #الأخبار pic.twitter.com/HFlbSKS6LT
— قناة الجزيرة (@AJArabic) January 5, 2024
He stated the army’s operations would include invading areas, demolishing tunnels, and conducting air strikes and artillery bombings, in addition to operations by the special forces. (which is what the army has been doing all along, especially since it began the ground offensive on the evening of October 27, 2023)
Gallant added that, in the south, the army would be acting on “eliminating the leaders of Hamas” and the “rescuing of Israeli captives,” but failed to mention that the Israeli army itself is responsible for the death of many Israeli captives due to its indiscriminate bombings.
“The operations would continue for as long as is needed,” his statement reads, and added that “Hamas will never control Gaza after the war, and Israel will always operate as needed and whenever is needed.”
مخيم جباليا يغرق في مياه الأمطار المختلطة بمياه الصرف الصحي والنفايات وسط مخاوف من انتشار الأوبئة.. مراسل الجزيرة أنس الشريف يرصد الأوضاع بالمخيم#الأخبار #حرب_غزة pic.twitter.com/Wgnu7MoCOM
— قناة الجزيرة (@AJArabic) January 5, 2024
He also stated that “there will be no Israeli civilian presence in Gaza,” a statement likely made after various colonialist groups and ministers of the Netanyahu government have been taking and laying plans for constructions for Jewish settlers in Gaza, resulting in “some international condemnation.”
Without providing further details, Gallant said the people of Gaza are Palestinians; therefore, “some Palestinian commissions would lead them, as long as there are no hostile activities or threats to Israel.”
His statements largely ignored the fact that the Israeli army is still encountering heavy losses among its soldiers and tanks, and various armed resistance groups are still heavily resisting the invasion of Israeli tanks and vehicles and did not mention the fact that the vast majority of victims of Israel’s onslaught on Gaza are civilians, especially women, and children.
مشاهد حصلت عليها #الجزيرة لما قالت كتائب القسام إنها لاشتباكات واستهداف جنود الاحتلال وآلياته في محاور مدينة #غزة#حرب_غزة pic.twitter.com/csMBSIs5uZ
— قناة الجزيرة (@AJArabic) January 4, 2024
There are approximately 136 Israelis, including many soldiers, who are still held in Gaza, according to Israeli military statements.
|Israeli Bombardment of Gaza Thursday: 109+ Civilians Killed|
On Thursday, the army announced five of its soldiers were seriously injured by Palestinian fighters in northern and southern Gaza; this announcement was made after nineteen soldiers were injured in 24 hours. More than 1000 soldiers have been injured since the ground offensive started.
In a report, Al-Jazeera English said the “International Court of Justice (ICJ) has confirmed that it will hold public hearings at The Hague on January 11 and 12 regarding South Africa’s case against Israel.”
It added that “Rafah municipality head Ahmed al-Soufi told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday that the number of displaced people who arrived in Rafah in the southernmost part of Gaza is about one million since the war broke out on October 7. The usual population of Rafah is about 300,000.”
Israel has now killed at least 22.430 Palestinians, including 9730 children and 6830 women, and injured more than 57.600, mostly women and children, in the Gaza Strip since October 7, in addition to more than 7000 who remain missing, likely dead and buried under the rubble of bombarded homes and buldings.
