Middle East, after the massacre, Israel is ready for an all-out offensive

The number of people killed in Israel after the attack launched on Saturday by Hamas exceeded one thousand. As Israeli soldiers regain “full” control of the settlements on the border with the Gaza Strip, horrific details emerge. In kibbutz Kfar Aza, attacked by Hamas, the Israeli army also found around forty babies and children among the victims, some of whom were beheaded. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that Israel is now ready «for an all-out offensive», «Hamas wanted change in Gaza and they will achieve it, it will never be the same again. Anyone who comes to behead, kill women and Holocaust survivors will be eliminated without compromise.” Meanwhile, rockets continue to fall on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. They targeted Tel Aviv and above all the coastal city of Ashkelon, not far from the Strip , where Hamas had already invited the population to evacuate in the early afternoon in the face of an attack that would begin at 5 pm, as actually happened. The situation in Gaza is also increasingly serious, with more than 700 confirmed Palestinian deaths, and the population cannot leave the Strip.

In fact, Egypt announced that it had closed “until further notice” the only exit, the Rafah crossing, hit by the Tel Aviv army. At the same time, the Israeli armed forces must protect the northern front, where the risk of escalating the conflict is always real. In the afternoon there was another firefight with rocket launches by Lebanese Hezbollah militants, to which Israeli forces responded. The emergency situation pushes Israel towards a national unity government. During the day, explained the opposition Likud party, “big steps forward” were taken in this direction. Furthermore, international apprehension remains high regarding the hostages that Hamas brought to the Gaza Strip. According to the Israeli ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, there are “between 100 and 150”. Among them could also be the two Italian-Israelis Eviatar Moshe Kipnis and Liliach Lea Havron, confirmed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani. Calls for the hostages’ release also come from the United Nations, but Hamas maintains a hard line. “There are no negotiations over prisoners held by Palestinian resistance forces” until the military campaign “ends,” said Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political office. Hamas confirmed that it is ready to fight “a long war”. The stone guest continues to be Iran, with the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who once again attacked Israel: «The usurping Zionist regime suffered an irreparable failure, both militarily and in terms of intelligence». However, Tehran once again denied having helped Hamas carry out its action. At the moment, the White House has also declared that there is “no evidence” of “direct” Iranian involvement.

Source: IL Tempo

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