Gaza is experiencing fierce battles throughout the night and into Sunday across the territory, including in the devastated north, where Israel continues its assault after the United States blocked the latest international attempt to secure a ceasefire and sent more munitions to its close ally.
U.S. Support for the Israeli Attack
Israel has received crucial support from the United States once again in recent days, through a veto in the United Nations Security Council of efforts to halt the fighting that had wide-ranging backing, and through the implementation of an emergency sale of more than $100 million in tank munitions to Israel.
Fighting and Arrests in the North
Israeli forces continue to face fierce resistance, even in northern Gaza, where entire neighborhoods have been destroyed by airstrikes and where ground forces have been conducting operations for more than six weeks.
Channel 13 in Israel aired footage showing dozens of detainees held naked under their pants with their hands in the air. Many of them were holding assault rifles over their heads, and a man can be seen walking slowly and placing a weapon on the ground before returning to the group.
Other videos in recent days showed groups of unarmed men being held under similar conditions, without clothing, bound and blindfolded. Men from a group of detainees released on Saturday told Agence France-Presse that they had been beaten and denied food and water.
Absence of Safe Places
As the war enters its third month, the number of Palestinian deaths in Gaza has exceeded 17,700, the majority of whom are women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and militant casualties.
Israel holds Hamas responsible for civilian casualties, alleging that fighters place civilians at risk by fighting in densely populated neighborhoods. The armed forces claim that 97 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the ground offensive. Palestinian fighters have continued to launch rockets at Israel.
Israel claims it has provided detailed instructions to civilians to evacuate safe areas, despite continuing to target what it considers militant objectives throughout the territory. Thousands have fled to the southern town of Rafah and other areas along the border with Egypt in recent days – one of the last areas where aid agencies can deliver food and water.
Israel has designated a narrow strip of sterile southern coast, Muwasi, as a safe area. However, Palestinians there are facing crowded conditions with little shelter and no toilets.
Escalating Tensions in the Region
The war has heightened tensions across the region, with Hezbollah exchanging fire with Israel along the border, and Iran-backed militant groups targeting the U.S. in Syria and Iraq.
France has stated that one of its warships in the Red Sea shot down two drones that approached it from Yemen, where the Iran-backed Houthi group has vowed to halt Israeli shipping through the main waterway.
Hanegbi said that Israel has urged its Western allies to address the threat and would give them “some time” to organize a response. However, he stated that if the threats persist, “we will take action to remove this blockade.”
Source: https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-12-10-2023-4414014e31015af32e99a5767b18927c
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