The death toll from the Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip rises to more than 20,600. Netanyahu tells the Israeli army that “the war will continue until the end.”
The Israeli military offensive continues across the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahuvisited this Monday the troops with a clear mandate to continue the war “until the end”, while the leader of Hamas in the enclave, Yahya Sinwarreleased its first message in 80 days since the start of the conflict.
“It is a fierce, violent and unprecedented battle against Israel,” said Sinwar, who Israel says is hiding in underground tunnels in the Khan Younis area, where much of the fighting is now taking place.
“The Al Qasam Brigades (armed arm of Hamas) will destroy the occupying army, they are on their way to crush it and will not submit to the conditions of the occupation,” added Sinwar, “number two” of the organization, but the true power, as he controls the political and military operations within the Strip, while heading the political bureau of the movement. Ismail Haniyehlives in exile in Qatar.
Sinwar, considered the brains of the October 7 attack in Israelhas stated that the Al Qasam Brigades, They attacked about 5,000 Israeli soldiers“a third of them were killed, another third seriously injured and the last third permanently incapacitated”, in addition to destroying 750 military vehicles.
The figures presented by Sinwar are far from the official casualty figures of the Israeli army, which has so far confirmed 156 dead soldiers since the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip began on October 27; in addition to another 333 during the Hamas attack on Israeli territory on October 7, which left more than 1,200 dead and 240 kidnapped.
Intensive Israeli bombing in a two and a half month offensive have claimed the lives of at least 20,674 Gazans – 70% civilians, including more than 8,000 children – and caused more than 54,536 injuries; in addition to the 7,500 bodies believed to be trapped under the rubble, according to the latest count from the Strip’s Ministry of Health.
Netanyahu visited the northern Gaza Strip on Monday
Netanyahu, for his part, visited the northern Gaza Strip this Monday and told the troops the war against Hamas will continue ‘until the end’ despite pressure from the families of those kidnapped a truce to get them out alive.
“Do not stop. The war continues until the end. Until they end, nothing less than that,” Netanyahu said in a veiled reference to the Egypt’s proposal for a two-week ceasefireThat both Israel and Hamas would have rejected this.
Hamas is making any new hostage-for-prisoner exchange deal conditional on a permanent ceasefire, an option that Israel rejects as it is determined to continue the war until the Islamist group is destroyed.
The Israeli military also said today that its ground, air and naval forces are engaged in joint fighting “across the Gaza Strip” and have attacked several “Hamas terrorist targets.”
Palestinian official sources have confirmed attacks, both from the air and by artillery, throughout the enclave since dawn. the most deadly today in the center of the Strip the Maghazi refugee camp, where a hundred people have already died.
In the past 24 hours, the Israeli army has committed “25 massacres that left at least 250 martyred and 500 injured,” the Gaza Health Ministry said.
The health care system in southern Gaza, where Israel is now focusing its offensive, “is collapsing,” while hospitals in the northern half are no longer functioning, he denounced.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
