Israel will not seek to conquer, occupy or rule Gaza after the war against Hamas but a “credible force” will be needed “to enter the Palestinian enclave if necessary to prevent the emergence of military threats,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News.
“I think it is clear what the future of Gaza must be like. Hamas will be gone: we must destroy it for the good of all, for the good of civilization and for the good of the Palestinians and the Israelis,” Netanyahu said, reiterating that his government would not agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza: “It would mean surrendering to Hamas, surrendering to terror and the victory of the axis of evil in Iran. There will be no ceasefire without the release of the hostages”, underlined the Israeli Prime Minister.
Three Hamas leaders killed in Jabalya
The Israeli army killed two Hamas leaders of the Nukbha Unit who took part in the murderous attack on 7 October last night in Jabalya, in the north of the Strip. The military spokesperson announced this, explaining that they are Ahmed Musa and Omar Al-Hindi. The head of the Hamas Northern Brigade sniper unit, Mohammed Kahlout, was killed together with them. According to the spokesperson, 19 Hamas operatives were also killed last night. In the suburb of Sheikh Ijlin – southern part of Gaza City – a rocket launch site was discovered located near residential buildings.
Between attacks and closures: the situation in hospitals in the Strip
Six people were killed following an Israeli attack on the Shifa hospital complex in Gaza, according to the director general of the Abu Salmiya hospital quoted by the Palestinian media. The director said this morning that the clinic was damaged. And he explained that the building is used for medical emergencies and hosts refugees from all over the Strip. Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry said Israeli tanks entered the compound.Ranteesi hospital of Gaza City, located about two kilometers north of Al-Shifa. Ranteesi is the only hospital in Gaza for children with cancer.
Gaza City’s al-Quds hospital was forced to close key services on Wednesday due to fuel shortages: said the United Nations spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, as reported by the UN on its website. The senior official explained that so far the Strip has not yet received any fuel, underlining that one of the consequences of this situation was precisely the decision of the al-Quds hospital. Furthermore, the only provider of maternity services in northern Gaza – al-Awda hospital – has warned of an imminent closureDujarric emphasized.
Israeli troops raided Hamas military headquarters near Shifa hospital in Gaza City for the first time. Another testimony to the furious battle being fought in the Strip and the siege with which the army is tightening the Hamas militiamen in the center of the enclave. While the Palestinian Islamic Jihad released a video with two Israeli hostages – an elderly woman and a child – announcing that it wanted to free them for humanitarian reasons.