Israel continues its attacks on the Gaza Strip, where nearly 20 thousand Palestinians died, according to Hamas data. UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, said more than 60 percent of the Strip’s infrastructure was destroyed or damaged and more than 90 percent of the 2.3 million population was forced to flee the country. “This is a staggering and unprecedented level of destruction and forced displacement,” the agency said. Despite growing international pressure on Tel Aviv to better protect civilians, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that the fighting will not stop until the remaining 129 hostages are released and Hamas is destroyed. However, the Minister of Defense of the Jewish State has made it clear that a new phase of the conflict is about to begin, but the outlines of this new phase are not yet clear and there are fears of a violent escalation in Lebanon and the Red Sea. .
Last stage in the North
Israel appears to be nearing the final stages of its operation in the Northern Strip. After a long bombing campaign, Israeli ground forces entered Gaza on 27 October. The military claims to have killed between 6,000 and 7,000 Hamas fighters since Islamic militias carried out a surprise attack on October 7 that killed 1,140 Israelis. As reported by think tank Institute for War StudiesOn December 18, the IDF (Israeli army) reported that Hamas, which controls the North, had destroyed the Beit Hanoun battalion and taken control of command centers, including the underground headquarters and other militant infrastructures.
Tel Aviv troops will now have firm control of the area. But Hamas’s armed wing, the Al-Qassim Brigades, still has at least five other units; Two of these do not engage in combat in Rafah and Central Governorates, and there is one more unit that Hamas can use to defend Khan Younis during the war. is climbing, will move south. It may take months to defeat them. Palestinian fighters are not just defensive, they are actually waging a guerrilla war against Israeli forces, setting up ambushes thanks to the complex network of tunnels under the strip. Currently, 132 Israeli soldiers have been killed, and Hamas is firing Qassam rockets into Israeli territory.
Pressure to reduce civilian deaths
As the number of civilian deaths increases day by day, even Israel’s main allies, the USA and the UK, are now beginning to criticize Israel’s war tactics, albeit mildly. The head of British diplomacy, David Cameron, called on Tel Aviv to “take a more surgical, clinical and targeted approach” to the fight against Hamas and “minimize civilian casualties”. During his visit to Israel on Monday (December 18), US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called on his ally to protect civilians involved and discussed a transition to less intense fighting. “We will continue to press to protect civilians during the conflict and increase the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza,” Austin said.
new stage
Israeli Defense Minister Joav Gallant said that some parts of the Gaza Strip were close to transitioning to the “morning after” of the war and that Israel would work to return local populations to their homelands. Gallant said this crossing would be possible even while active fighting continues in other parts of the Strip. Most residents of northern Gaza followed Israel’s order to evacuate to the south; Here the military keeps issuing evacuation orders depending on where they expect air strikes or are fighting Hamas, making it nearly impossible to stay safe in one place. “Soon we will be able to distinguish different parts of Gaza,” Gallant assured. But neither he nor Austin offered a timeline for transitioning to what Americans call “more surgical” operations.
new front
But the conflict spread beyond Gaza and an unexpected front formed in the Red Sea; Here, Iran-allied Houthi forces attacked commercial ships with missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. This led to the establishment of a multinational naval operation led by the United States, with the participation of Italy, in order to protect trade in the region. But the Houthis say they will not stop. The group’s spokesman, Mohammed Abdulsalam, said, “Our support for Palestine and the Gaza Strip will continue until the siege ends, the inflow of food and medicine ends, and our support for the oppressed Palestinian people will continue.” He told Reuters that only Israeli ships or ships going to Israel would be targeted.
Violence in the West Bank
Conflicts are also increasing in the West Bank. Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian fighters nine times in the West Bank on December 18 alone. Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades opened small arms fire on Tel Aviv forces and detonated improvised explosive devices at Israeli soldiers near Nablus. At the same time, violence by Israeli settlers is increasing. According to the United Nations, more than 246 Palestinians, including 65 children, have been killed in the West Bank since October 7. Most were killed by Israeli forces, but at least eight were killed by settlers. Overall, Israel has more than 700,000 settlers spread across 150 government-authorized settlements and 128 unauthorized outposts in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Lebanese front
Another front of the conflict, although at low intensity, is Lebanon. Since the beginning of the war, the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement has launched numerous attacks from southern Lebanon to the Israeli border in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas. In response, Tel Aviv launches air strikes on the southern part of the country. The violence, now confined to border areas, has left more than 136 dead, including nearly 100 Hezbollah fighters and at least 11 on the Israeli side. Netanyahu warned militants that Lebanon would “become a new Gaza” if they attacked Israel.
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Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
