“Are you ready for what happens? This will continue,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told several soldiers during a visit to his army.
The war has entered its second week. Israel called on the Palestinians to “don’t delay” to evacuate the north of the Gaza Strip on Saturday October 14, suggesting a ground offensive. “Are you ready for what’s coming? It’s going to continue.”warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to soldiers, while his army announced that it had found “corpses” Israeli hostages after “some raids in the Gaza Strip”. Here is what to remember from this new day of conflict.
Nine hostages killed in Israeli raids, Hamas says
Projectile fire from both camps continued on Saturday, further increasing the human toll. At least five Israelis and four foreigners held hostage by Hamas were killed by Israeli strikes over the past 24 hours in the Gaza Strip, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement said at midday. These new deaths bring to 22 the number of hostages killed in raids over the past week, according to Hamas. For its part, Israel confirmed that it had found “some corpses” hostages in Gaza and mentioned the presence of “more than 120 civilians” held captive in Gaza, among approximately 150 hostages kidnapped by Hamas.
On the eighth day of the war, Israel announced the death of two Hamas military leaders: Mourad Abou Mourad, “responsible for a large part of the deadly offensive” against Israel, and Ali Qadi, a commander of a unit accused of “led the attack against Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip”.
The death toll in Gaza rose to 2,215 victims, including 724 children, Hamas’ Palestinian Health Ministry announced Saturday morning. Of these deaths, 324 occurred between Friday and Saturday. On the Israeli side, at least 1,300 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in Israel since the attack. The toll of French victims increased, going from 15 to 17 nationals killed, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Fifteen other French people remain missing.
Half of Gazans called to evacuate without “delay”
The Israeli army on Saturday recommended that the population of the northern Gaza Strip “don’t delay” to evacuate their homes before the launch of a military offensive. Around 1.1 million people in the north of the territory, which has a total of 2.4 million inhabitants, are affected by this appeal, rejected by Hamas. The roads have been congested since Friday to go towards the south of the Palestinian territory. An army spokesperson said on Saturday evening that they were giving the Palestinians more time to leave for the south, “because there are a huge number of people who (still) have to leave” the North.
>> IN PICTURES. Thousands of Palestinians flee in bombed Gaza amid threat of Israeli ground offensive
The Israeli army, which carried out ground incursions into the Palestinian territory on Friday, assured on Saturday that it was preparing to “other significant combat operations”. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israeli troops near the Gaza Strip, according to a video made public by his services. “Are you ready for what’s coming? It’s going to continue.”he said, in a green bulletproof vest, to several soldiers.
Israel accused of flouting international law
International law “does not endorse” an evacuation like that requested by Israel in Gaza, declared the head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sanchez, on Saturday. In the evening, French President Emmanuel Macron also said “that all measures to spare civilians in Gaza and elsewhere must be taken and international humanitarian law must be respected.” “We must differentiate between terrorists and the civilian population: the fight is directed against Hamas, not against the Palestinians”had also insisted the German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Annalena Baerbock.
The leader of the Hamas terrorist group, Ismail Haniyeh, accused Israel of committing “war crimes” And “flagrant violations of international law” in the Gaza Strip. In an open letter addressed to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, he also denounced the “seat” imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip. He urges the UN to “lobby” on Israel to allow “entry of humanitarian aid and medical supplies”.
France calls for a humanitarian corridor in Gaza
Emmanuel Macron has increased his exchanges with foreign leaders, starting with the Israeli and Egyptian authorities. He urged Tel Aviv and Cairo to open a humanitarian corridor to Gaza, via the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border. Such a corridor could be used “in particular for the evacuation of our compatriots”, specified the Elysée. According to an American official cited by AFP, Israel and Egypt have already given the green light to let the Americans leave the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing point.
The head of state also tried to weigh “to the Iranian authorities so that they refrain from intervening in the conflict” And “with Hezbollah to avoid the opening of a second front in the north of Israel”, according to the presidency. Hezbollah and the Lebanese must “It is imperative to show restraint”insists Paris.
Deaths on the border between Israel and Lebanon
Tensions are high on Israel’s border with Lebanon, where the Israeli army announced that it had killed “several terrorists” who were trying to infiltrate, after having struck a Hezbollah target in southern Lebanon in the night, in response to a “infiltration” aerial and gunfire. For its part, Hezbollah claimed to have targeted Israeli positions in a disputed border area. This Lebanese armed movement deplored the death of one of its men, while two civilians were killed in an Israeli bombardment in Chebaa, in southern Lebanon, according to the village mayor.
>> War between Israel and Hamas: how the conflict threatens to spread to southern Lebanon
Like France, Israel and the United States fear the opening of a second front in the north of the Hebrew state, if Hezbollah, supported by Iran, decides to intervene massively in the war between Israel and their ally. Islamist Hamas. Iran estimated on Saturday in Beirut that it was still possible to avoid a “generalized crisis”. “Maybe it will be too late in the next few hours”however, warned Tehran.
This rise in tensions came after a Reuters journalist was killed on Friday and several others injured in a shooting attributed to Israel by the Lebanese authorities. The Israeli army said on Saturday “very sorry” of this death, indicating “investigate”, without explicitly recognizing any responsibility. The Lebanese army accused her on Saturday of being responsible for the shooting “of a rocket which targeted a civilian press car”.