Iran Civilians caught between the fronts - attacks in Gaza again
Following the killing of a Hamas leader, Israel is continuing to prepare for a retaliatory strike by Iran and its allies. Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant warned Tehran and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia of a fierce retaliation. "Whoever harms us in a way that has not happened in the past will probably be hit in a way that has not happened in the past," Galant said.
12.08.2024, 04:48
SDA
"I hope they think this through and don't get to a point where they force us to do significant damage and increase the likelihood of war breaking out on more fronts," the Israeli defense minister continued. "We don't want that, but we have to be prepared."
Following the killing of a Hezbollah military commander in Lebanon and a leader of the Islamist Hamas allied with the organization in Tehran, Iran and Hezbollah announced massive retaliation. The foreign head of Hamas, Ismail Haniya, was killed in an explosion in an Iranian government guest house at the end of July. Iran accuses Israel. The country has not yet commented on the matter. Israel in turn claimed responsibility for the targeted killing of the Hezbollah military commander.
Nuclear submarine: USA further strengthens military presence in the Middle East
The US military is continuing to strengthen its presence in the Middle East. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the deployment of the nuclear-powered submarine "USS Georgia", and the aircraft carrier "USS Abraham Lincoln" and its escort ships are also to speed up their transit to the region, the Pentagon explained. The aircraft carrier with its F-35 fighter jets will join the aircraft carrier group "USS Theodore Roosevelt" already in the region.
In a conversation with his Israeli counterpart Galant, Minister Austin once again emphasized the United States' commitment to "take every possible step to defend Israel" in view of the "escalating regional tensions", the Pentagon continued.
The US military's aircraft carriers, which are also powered by nuclear reactors and are a good 300 meters long, are each equipped with dozens of fighter planes, and their formations also include destroyers and other warships. According to a US military website, the approximately 110-metre-long submarine "USS Georgia" can be equipped with up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Renewed missile attacks from Lebanon
While Iran and its allies have not yet carried out their major counter-attack against Israel, the attacks between Israel's army and the Hezbollah militia are continuing. The Israeli military stated that around 30 projectiles were fired from Lebanon towards the village of Kabri near the coastal town of Naharija on Monday night. There were no casualties. Some of the projectiles hit open areas. According to local media, Hezbollah stated that the attack with Katyusha rockets was aimed at a military base.
New negotiations on ceasefire
On Thursday, for the first time in a long time, there is to be a round of negotiations to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza war, which has been going on for ten months, as well as the release of the hostages held by Hamas.
Both Israeli delegates and Hamas representatives have been invited to the indirect talks. The next round is to take place in Cairo or Doha. It is still unclear whether a team from the Islamist organization will take part. In a statement, the group had previously called on the mediators to draw up a plan to implement the existing proposal for a ceasefire agreement "instead of going to further rounds of negotiations" or submitting further drafts.
The USA, Egypt and Qatar are mediating in the indirect talks, which have been dragging on for months. Since May, they have revolved around a multi-stage plan by US President Joe Biden, which ultimately envisages a permanent ceasefire. In addition, hostages held by Hamas are to be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
According to a government spokesman in Berlin, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) said in a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the time had now come to finalize the agreement on the release of the hostages and a ceasefire with the aim of regional de-escalation.
Hostage mother reportedly receives signs of life from her daughter
According to Israeli estimates, Hamas is still holding 115 hostages in the Gaza Strip, many of whom are believed to be dead. The family of a young female soldier has received a sign of life from the woman, the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" reported. "She and her friends, all four of them, are alive," the mother of the kidnapped woman was quoted as saying. However, the family did not know what condition the soldier was in and where exactly she was being held.
Hamas footage exists of the abduction of the woman and other female soldiers, in which they can be seen frightened, injured and sometimes covered in blood.
More dead in attacks in the Gaza Strip
Following the devastating airstrike on a school building, which sparked international horror and criticism, Israel's army says it is continuing its attacks on targets in the Gaza Strip. Five people were killed in the entire coastal strip, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. Israel's military announced that it had killed terrorists in the city of Rafah in the south of the territory. On Saturday alone, 30 Hamas targets were attacked. The information could not initially be independently verified.
Israel's army called on the residents of a neighborhood in the north of the city to leave the area before a new military operation in Khan Yunis. Israel accuses the Islamist terrorist organization of misusing the humanitarian zone in the area for rocket attacks on Israeli towns. Chan Junis is located in the south of the Gaza Strip.
According to Palestinian reports, dozens of people were killed on Saturday in an Israeli airstrike on a school building in the city of Gaza that was being used as refugee accommodation. Israel's military expressed doubts about these figures and spoke of a Hamas command center.
"The reports from Gaza are terrible. The killing of civilians seeking protection is unacceptable. The repeated attacks by the Israeli army on schools must stop and be cleared up quickly," wrote Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock's (Greens) department on Platform X on Sunday.
The suffering of the women, men and many children seeking protection, who have been fleeing the fighting in Gaza for months, is immeasurable. They should no longer be caught between the fronts and Hamas should not abuse them as shields.
According to Israeli reports, one Israeli was killed in an attack in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Hamas' military wing claimed responsibility for the attack.
