Fighting in Gaza intensifies as Netanyahu rejects calls for cease-fire

Israeli floor forces pushed deeper into Gaza Monday, advancing in tanks and different armored autos on the territory’s major metropolis and releasing a soldier held captive by Hamas militants. The Israeli prime minister rejected requires a cease-fire as airstrikes landed close to hospitals the place 1000’s of Palestinians are sheltering beside the wounded.

The navy mentioned Tuesday it had killed one of many leaders of the Oct. 7 Hamas bloodbath in Israel, Nasim Abu Ajina, including that his dying “considerably harms” Hamas efforts to battle off Israeli floor forces.

The navy mentioned a soldier captured throughout Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 incursion was rescued in Gaza – the primary rescue for the reason that weekslong conflict started. Army officers offered few particulars however mentioned in an announcement that Pvt. Ori Megidish, 19, was “doing effectively” and had met together with her household.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed her house, saying the “achievement” by Israel’s safety forces “illustrates our dedication to free all of the hostages.”

He additionally rejected requires a cease-fire to facilitate the discharge of captives or finish the conflict, which he has mentioned shall be lengthy and troublesome. “Requires a cease-fire are requires Israel to give up to Hamas,” he informed a information convention. “That won’t occur.”

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli navy spokesman, declined to touch upon the place Israeli forces are deployed, however mentioned extra forces had entered Gaza and operations would proceed to “increase and intensify.”

The navy mentioned troops have killed dozens of militants who attacked from inside buildings and tunnels. It mentioned Monday that, up to now few days, it had struck greater than 600 militant targets, together with weapons depots and anti-tank missile launching positions. Palestinian militants have continued firing rockets into Israel, together with towards its industrial hub, Tel Aviv.

On Tuesday, the IDF mentioned it had carried out some 300 extra airstrikes and floor forces had “engaged with militants.”

Hamas mentioned its fighters clashed with Israeli troops who entered from the northwest. It was not attainable to independently verify battlefield claims made by both facet.

Netanyahu, who faces mounting anger over Israel’s failure to forestall the worst shock assault on the nation in a half century, additionally mentioned he had no plans to resign.

Hamas and different militant teams are believed to be holding some 240 captives, together with males, ladies and youngsters. Netanyahu has confronted rising strain to safe their launch at the same time as Israel acts to crush Hamas and finish its 16-year rule over the territory.

Hamas, which has launched 4 hostages, has mentioned it will let the others go in return for 1000’s of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, together with many implicated in lethal assaults on Israelis. Israel has dismissed the supply, and Netanyahu mentioned the bottom invasion “creates the likelihood” of getting the hostages out, including that Hamas will “solely do it beneath strain.”

Hamas launched a brief video Monday purporting to indicate three different feminine captives. One delivers a quick assertion – seemingly beneath duress – criticizing Israel’s response to the hostage disaster.

It was not clear when the Hamas video was made. CBS Information normally refrains from reporting particulars of hostage movies as a result of they present people talking beneath duress and are sometimes used for propaganda functions.

Amos Aloni, whose daughter Danielle appeared within the video, informed reporters that he and his spouse have been shocked to see her on TV however felt “reduction from her being alive and seeing her.”

The U.S. is offering weapons shipments on an nearly each day foundation to Israel, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh informed reporters.

Regardless of the rising variety of civilian casualties, “we aren’t placing any limits on how Israel makes use of weapons,” Singh mentioned. “That’s actually as much as the Israeli Protection Power (IDF).”

The Israeli navy has been imprecise about its operations inside Gaza, together with the situation and variety of troops. Israel has declared a brand new “section” within the conflict however stopped in need of declaring an all-out floor invasion.

Bigger floor operations have been launched each north and east of Gaza Metropolis. Israel says lots of Hamas’ forces and far of its militant infrastructure, together with a whole lot of miles of tunnels, are in Gaza Metropolis, which earlier than the conflict was house to over 650,000 individuals, a inhabitants similar to that of Washington, D.C.

Gaza civilians in peril  

Although Israel ordered Palestinians to depart the north, the place Gaza Metropolis is positioned, and transfer south, a whole lot of 1000’s stay, partly as a result of Israel has additionally bombarded targets in so-called secure zones. Round 117,000 displaced individuals hoping for security are staying in hospitals in northern Gaza, alongside 1000’s of sufferers and workers, in line with U.N. figures.

The U.N. company for Palestinian refugees, often called UNRWA, says almost 672,000 Palestinians are sheltering in its faculties and different services, which have reached 4 occasions their capability.

UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini accused Israel of “collective punishment” of the Palestinians and of forcing their displacement from northern Gaza to the south, the place they’re nonetheless not secure.

The dying toll amongst Palestinians handed 8,300, largely ladies and youngsters, the Hamas-controlled Gaza Well being Ministry mentioned Monday. The determine is with out precedent in many years of Israeli-Palestinian violence. Greater than 1.4 million individuals in Gaza have fled their houses.

Over 1,400 individuals have died on the Israeli facet, Israel says, primarily civilians killed throughout Hamas’ preliminary assault, additionally an unprecedented determine.

Lazzarini mentioned 64 of the company’s workers have been killed up to now three weeks, the newest simply hours earlier than he addressed an emergency U.N. Safety Council assembly, when an company safety official was killed along with his spouse and eight youngsters.

Most Palestinians in Gaza “really feel trapped in a conflict they don’t have anything to do with,” he mentioned.

Video circulating on social media confirmed an Israeli tank and bulldozer in central Gaza blocking the territory’s major north-south freeway.

The video, taken by a neighborhood journalist, reveals a automotive approaching an earth barrier throughout the highway. The automotive stops and turns round. Because it heads away, a tank seems to open fireplace, and an explosion engulfs the automotive. The journalist, in one other automotive, races away in terror, screaming, “Return! Return!” at approaching autos.

The Gaza Well being Ministry later mentioned three individuals have been killed within the automotive that was hit.

Hospitals now a hazard zone  

In the meantime, crowded hospitals in northern Gaza got here beneath rising risk.

Gaza’s Well being Ministry shared video footage that appeared to indicate an explosion and a column of smoke close to the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital for most cancers sufferers. The hospital director, Dr. Sobhi Skaik, mentioned it had sustained injury in a strike that endangered sufferers.

All 10 hospitals working in northern Gaza have acquired evacuation orders, the U.N.’s workplace for the coordination of humanitarian affairs mentioned. Workers have refused to depart, saying evacuation would imply dying for sufferers on ventilators.

Strikes hit inside 50 yards of Al Quds Hospital after it acquired two calls from Israeli authorities on Sunday ordering it to evacuate, the Palestinian Purple Crescent rescue service mentioned. Some home windows have been blown out, and rooms have been coated in particles. It mentioned 14,000 persons are sheltering there.

Israel says it targets Hamas fighters and infrastructure and that the militants function amongst civilians, placing them at risk.

Past the preventing, situations for civilians in Gaza are regularly deteriorating.

With no central energy for weeks and little gasoline, hospitals are struggling to maintain emergency mills working to function incubators and different life-saving tools. UNRWA has been making an attempt to maintain water pumps and bakeries working.

On Sunday, the biggest convoy of humanitarian help but – 33 vans – entered the territory from Egypt, and one other 26 entered Monday. Reduction staff say the quantity remains to be far lower than what is required for the inhabitants of two.3 million individuals.

The preventing has raised issues that the violence might unfold throughout the area. Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have engaged in each day skirmishes alongside Israel’s northern border.

The U.S. blames a spike in rocket and drone assaults — at the least 14 in Iraq and 9 in Syria since October 17 — on Iran-backed forces, and performed strikes final week in Syria on websites the Pentagon mentioned have been linked to Tehran.

Within the occupied West Financial institution, Israel carried out airstrikes Monday in opposition to militants clashing with its forces within the Jenin refugee camp. Hamas mentioned 4 of its fighters have been killed there. As of Sunday, Israeli forces and settlers have killed 123 Palestinians, together with 33 minors, within the West Financial institution, half of them throughout search-and-arrest operations, the U.N. mentioned.

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