В близко бъдеще battles in Gaza are expected to continue for at least a year. This forecast comes from Israeli defense officials and senior intelligence officials, cited by „The Guardian.“ Expectations include new thousands of civilian casualties, deepening of the humanitarian crisis, and continued serious threat to regional stability. At a briefing, Admiral Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said the central and southern parts of Gaza, where the military efforts are now concentrated,
are „densely populated and saturated with terrorists“ with „an underground city of branching tunnels,“ writes BTA.
Cleaning up the area will take three months, and the fighting will „continue into 2024,“ Hagari said.
He said that in northern Gaza, emerging at different locations and at irregular intervals, as well as sporadic missile launches from there into Israel.
Israeli military claim to have completely liquidated the „Hamas“ command network
in the northern part of Gaza, killing about 8,000 fighters in the region during the process, writes „The Independent.“ Amos Yadlin, a former intelligence chief, compared the campaign in Gaza to the one led by the multinational coalition against the „Islamic State“ in 2017, which lasted nine months. But he assessed the situation in Gaza as much more challenging.
„It will take a year to liquidate ‘Hamas,'“ he said. „This is not the Six-Day War [of 1967]. The term is long, [the IS fortresses] Mosul and Raqqa were not fortified underground, and the coalition consisted of 85 countries.“
There is concern that the clashes along Israel’s northern border between the country’s army and Hezbollah forces
may escalate into a full-scale war,
which could expand the battles in the region.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited the Middle East for the fourth time in four months, also warned that Israel’s war against „Hamas“ risks spreading throughout the region.
„The Huffington Post“ highlights the talks Blinken held in Doha and Amman. In talks with the Emir of Qatar and the King of Jordan, the US Secretary of State spoke about the need for Israel to adjust its military operations to limit civilian casualties and significantly increase the amount of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza while emphasizing the importance of drawing up detailed plans for the post-conflict future in the Palestinian enclave, whose territory has been ravaged by Israeli bombardments.
The recent intensification of violence between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite movement „Hezbollah,“ the increased attacks by Iran-backed Yemeni Houthis
against commercial shipping in the Red Sea and strikes on Iran-linked groups at US bases in Iraq
are creating an increasingly tense atmosphere throughout the Middle East.
The „New York Times“ warns that „a broader conflict with Iran is looming from Lebanon to the Red Sea.“ The newspaper points out that with Tehran’s puppet attacking and its nuclear program revived, Iran presents a new challenge to the West – this time with Russia and China on its side.
The „Washington Post“ points out the fate of Wael al-Dahdouh, a Palestinian reporter with years of experience, who lost his wife, several of his children, and his closest colleague in the Israeli air strikes and shelling. Yesterday, his son Hamza, following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a journalist, was killed along with another of his colleagues from „Al Jazeera.“ According to the television, the 27-year-old Hamza was on an assignment for „Al Jazeera,“ where his father heads the Gaza bureau, when the strike destroyed the car he was traveling in, near the southern city of Rafah.
In the brutal war, nearly 23,000 people have died in Gaza, including dozens of journalists, 53-year-old Wael al-Dahdouh has become a symbol,
and his perseverance – a rare source of hope for the Palestinians, who believe that his tragedy echoes their own.
In October, when the death toll in Gaza reached 7,000, Wael went off the air, learning that his wife, his two children, and his young grandson had been killed in an Israeli strike, „The Washington Post“ reports.
