No respite for entry into 2024. In the Gaza Strip, under siege and in a desperate humanitarian situation for the Palestinians, the bombings continue unabated. The war will continue for “many months,” warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Ezzedine al-Qassam brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in power in Gaza, claimed responsibility for two rocket attacks towards Israel on the night of Sunday to Monday, without causing any casualties.
Information to remember
⇒ Gaza: 24 people killed by Israeli strikes, according to Hamas
⇒ Tel Aviv: rockets intercepted at midnight precisely
⇒ Hamas hostages: “We do not forget them”, assures Macron
Tel Aviv: rockets intercepted at midnight
Air warning sirens sounded in several parts of Israel, and AFP journalists in Tel Aviv witnessed the rockets being intercepted by Israeli missile defense systems at precisely midnight. People celebrating the New Year on a festive street ran for cover, while others continued to party.
The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in power in Gaza, claimed responsibility for the two attacks in a video posted on their social networks, claiming to have fired M90 rockets in “response to the massacres of civilians” perpetrated by Israel . The Israeli army confirmed the attack, without initially reporting any casualties or damage.
Gaza: 24 people killed by Israeli strikes
According to the Health Ministry of Hamas, in power in Gaza, 24 civilians were killed and several dozen others injured on New Year’s Eve by Israeli strikes – figures that cannot be verified by independent sources. Air raids targeted the center of Khan Yunis and at least seven other towns in the Gaza Strip, he said.
The day before, at least 48 Palestinians were killed in strikes on Gaza City, and another strike on the campus of Al-Aqsa University in Gaza left at least 20 dead, according to the same source. The Israeli army said it had killed more than a dozen enemy fighters in ground clashes, airstrikes and tank fire, adding that it had located Hamas tunnels and explosives at a kindergarten.
Hamas hostages: “We do not forget them”, assures Macron
Emmanuel Macron sent his wishes to the French on Sunday, December 31, his thoughts to the families of the hostages still held by Hamas. “We do not forget them,” declared the head of state. “41 French people were murdered, and I think this evening of their families as I think of the families of our compatriots still held hostage,” added the president. Three French people are “detained, missing or hostages in the Gaza Strip,” Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said in mid-December.
“Hostile plane” intercepted by Israeli army
The Israeli army also announced Sunday evening that it had identified and intercepted a “hostile air target” coming from Syria, according to it. She said she also intercepted a “hostile plane” which was heading towards its territory.
In the Red Sea, the American army announced on Sunday that it had sunk three boats of Yemeni Houthi rebels allied with Iran, accused of having attacked a container ship. Ten of them were killed by this attack by the “American enemy,” rebel spokesperson Yahya Saree confirmed on X (formerly Twitter).