The Israeli army continued its strikes and now considers Gaza City a “battlefield”. For its part, Hamas offers to release the hostages, in exchange for the release of all Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
The war between Israel and Hamas has entered “a new phase”, declared Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Saturday, October 28. At On the 22nd day of the conflict triggered by the unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement on October 7, the Israeli army intensified its strikes on the Gaza Strip, a cramped Palestinian territory where some 2.4 million Palestinians are crowded together. Here’s what to remember from the day.
An intensification of strikes
Intensive bombings and ground fighting took place on Palestinian territory overnight from Friday to Saturday. The Israeli army has warned that it now considers Gaza City and its region to be a “battlefield” and ordered the inhabitants to “leave immediately” to the south. According to the spokesperson for Civil Defense in Gaza, Mahmoud Bassal“hundreds of buildings and houses were completely destroyed” in night raids. Communications and internet have been cut since Friday in the Palestinian territory.
Rockets coming from Gaza also targeted Israel, according to AFP journalists, who noted interceptions by Israeli air defense. At least two rockets reached Israeli soil, according to authorities. In the evening, Israeli soldiers were still operating on the ground in the Gaza Strip, according to the army.
Hamas offers exchange to free hostages
Hamas’ military wing said it was ready to release hostages taken during its attack on Israeli soil in exchange for the release of all Palestinian prisoners in Israel. According to the UN, as of July 10, there were 5,000 thousand Palestinians detained in Israel. And according to the Israeli authorities, around 230 hostages are being held in the Gaza Strip.
The families of the hostages, mostly Israeli, “are worried about the fate of their loved ones” and demand explanations from the government after the army’s intense bombardment of Gaza, they said in a statement. A collective bringing together the families had asked to be received by officials from the war cabinet. They intend to be informed of the consequences for their loved ones of the ground offensive launched by the Israeli army.
The war “will be long and difficult”, warns
Israel “will explore all options” to free the hostages in the hands of Hamas, Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday. The Israeli Prime Minister also warned that the war against the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip would be “long and difficult”. “And we are ready for it”said Benjamin Netanyahu during a press conference in Tel Aviv, adding that his army “will destroy the enemy on earth and underground”.
Israel recalls its diplomats from Türkiye
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the West of being “the main culprit of the massacres in Gaza“and Israel to commit “war crimes”during a “meeting in support of Palestine” which brought together several hundred thousand people at the former Atatürk airport in Istanbul. In a virulent speech against them, the Turkish head of state challenged the Western powers by suspecting them of “create an atmosphere of crusades” against Muslims.
“Of course, every country has the right to defend itself, but where is the justice? What is happening in Gaza is not self-defense but a massacre.”
In response, Israel recalled its diplomats from Türkiye in order to “reevaluate relationships” between the two countries. “Given the serious statements coming from Turkey, I ordered the recall of diplomatic representatives in order to reassess relations between Israel and Turkey”said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eli Cohen, on social networks.
The UN calls for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres deplored the“unprecedented escalation” in the bombings in Gaza and renewed his call for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”, on the 22nd day of the war between Israel and Hamas. The head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell also called for a “pause of hostilities” to enable the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
For its part, Saudi Arabia warned Israel against any new ground operations in the Gaza Strip, denouncing an “unjustified” violation of international law. Riyadh “denounces any ground operations carried out by Israel due to threats to the lives of Palestinian civilians”according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “The continuation of flagrant and unjustified violations of international law against the brotherly Palestinian people” will have “serious repercussions on the stability of the region”warns Saudi Arabia.
Thousands of demonstrators in Paris despite the ban
Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez put the number of people who participated in the rally in Paris in support of the Palestinian people that he had banned between “3,000 and 4,000”. Speaking on BFMTV, he argued that the police had carried out “several hundred verbalizations”. The fine is 135 euros for participating in a prohibited demonstration.
“This demonstration which was to be held in a stroll from the Place du Châtelet to the Place de la République, in the conditions in which it had been declared, did not actually take place”, affirmed the prefect. He explained that the police had “surrounded” demonstrators at Place du Châtelet to prevent them from “go for a stroll”. He spoke of “some attempts at wild processions on the declared route, but very dispersed, making a very proportionate use of force”.
Administrative justice had validated in the morning the ban on this demonstration by the prefect. In a press release, the Paris administrative court argued that it was not suspending the prefectural order, “in particular with regard to the context of heightened tensions linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the conditions in which this demonstration took place”.