Nearly a year after the start of the war, triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, Israeli retaliatory operations have not let up in the besieged Palestinian territory hit by a humanitarian catastrophe. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounced on Monday the “collective punishment” of the population of Gaza who are suffering “unimaginable”.
The war has also rekindled tensions on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, where gunfire has become an almost daily occurrence between the Israeli army and Lebanese Hezbollah, another Hamas ally, raising fears of a military escalation in the region. Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday that the return of residents of northern Israel, who fled because of Hezbollah gunfire, was now one of his government’s goals.
Key information to remember
⇒ Return of residents of northern Israel is a “new war aim,” Netanyahu announced
⇒ Israeli occupation under debate at the UN General Assembly
⇒ Hamas leader says he is ready for a “long war of attrition” in Gaza
Israeli occupation debated at UN General Assembly
UN member states will debate from today a draft Palestinian resolution demanding an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories within “12 months”, a text whose probable adoption is already provoking anger in Israel. In July, responding to a request for an advisory opinion from the General Assembly on the Israeli occupation since 1967, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that “the continued presence of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful” and that Israel is “under an obligation to end it […] as soon as possible”.
In response to this advice, the Arab countries have called for the convening of a new special session a few days before the arrival in New York of dozens of heads of state and government for the annual high-level meeting of the General Assembly, where the war in Gaza is expected to dominate the debates.
Return of Northern Israelis: New War Aim, Netanyahu Announces
Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday that the return of residents of northern Israel, who fled due to Hezbollah fire, was now one of the goals of his government. “The political and security cabinet updated the aims of the war tonight to include the following section: the safe return of residents of the north (of the country) to their homes,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office explained in a statement. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also considered that “military action” was “the only way to guarantee the return of communities in northern Israel to their homes.”
Since the large-scale attack by the Palestinian movement Hamas against Israel on October 7, gunfire has become an almost daily occurrence between the Israeli army and the Iranian-backed Lebanese Islamist movement Hezbollah. The cross-border violence has left 623 dead in Lebanon, mostly fighters, but also at least 141 civilians. On the Israeli side, authorities have announced the deaths of at least 24 soldiers and 26 civilians.
Blinken travels to Egypt to discuss Gaza ceasefire efforts
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Egypt this week to discuss efforts to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the State Department said in a statement Monday. “In addition to co-chairing the strategic dialogue, the Secretary of State will meet with Egyptian officials to discuss efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza that secures the release of all hostages, alleviates the suffering of the Palestinian people, and contributes to broader regional security,” his spokesman Matthew Miller said in the statement.
Hamas leader says he is ready for a “long war of attrition” in Gaza
Hamas’ leader said Monday that the Palestinian Islamist movement was preparing to confront Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip for the long term, with the support of its Iranian-backed allies, nearly a year after the war began. He added that “joint efforts” with “resistance” groups in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen would “break the will” of Israel, in a message of congratulations to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, allied with Hamas, who carried out a missile attack on central Israel on Sunday. His remarks appeared to respond to the Israeli defense minister who said last week that “Hamas, as a military formation, no longer exists.”