Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statements clearly indicate his commitment to Netanyahu Gaza war continuation. Netanyahu has emphatically declared that Israel has no option but to continue fighting in Gaza. In his latest address, he stated that Israel will not end the war before completely eliminating Hamas, freeing all hostages, and ensuring the region no longer poses a threat to Israel. The Netanyahu Gaza war continuation strategy also includes his reiterated commitment to ensuring Iran never acquires nuclear weapons.
Hamas Rejects Israel’s Proposal
Netanyahu claimed that Hamas has rejected Israel’s new proposal to release half of the hostages in exchange for extending the ceasefire, further justifying the Netanyahu Gaza war continuation policy. These comments followed attacks carried out in Gaza which, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, resulted in more than 90 casualties during a 48-hour period.
Israeli Soldiers Intensify Attacks
As part of the Netanyahu Gaza war continuation strategy, Israeli soldiers are intensifying their attacks to pressure Hamas to release hostages and surrender their weapons. According to hospital staff, the 15 people killed overnight included children and women. Hospital workers reported that at least 11 people were killed in the southern city of Khan Younis, many of whom were in a tent in the Muwasi area, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people reside. Israel has declared this a humanitarian zone. Mourners held and kissed the faces of the deceased. Before closing the body bags, one person stroked a child’s forehead with their finger.
Claims of Killing Over 40 Militants
Four other people were killed in attacks in Rafah city, including a woman and her daughter. In central Gaza, west of Nuseirat, one person died in an Israeli airstrike on a group of civilians. The Israeli military stated in a release that it had killed more than 40 terrorists over the weekend. The army reported that a soldier was killed in northern Gaza on Saturday and confirmed that this was the first soldier’s death since Israel resumed the war on March 18.
Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said it had ambushed Israeli forces operating east of the al-Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City.
Six-Week Blockade in Gaza
The Netanyahu Gaza war continuation approach has led to a six-week blockade of Gaza, with Israel vowing to intensify attacks and indefinitely occupy large “security zones” within the small coastal strip housing more than 2 million people. Hamas wants Israeli forces to withdraw from Gaza. Israel has reimposed restrictions on the entry of food and other items.
According to the United Nations, aid groups expressed concern this week, reporting that thousands of children have become malnourished, and most people are barely eating once a day due to diminishing stocks. Dr. Hanan Balkhi, head of the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Office, urged the new U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, on Friday to pressure the country to lift Gaza’s blockade so that medicines and other aid could reach those in need. “I want them to go there and see the situation firsthand,” she said.
Hamas Attack on October 7, 2023
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Most hostages have been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Hamas currently holds 59 hostages, of whom 24 are estimated to be alive. (Input-PTI)
