Israel and Hamas at war, day 88 | Israel prepares for “any scenario” after fatal attack on Hamas number 2

(Jerusalem) The Israeli army is preparing this Wednesday for “any scenario” the day after a strike in the suburbs of Beirut, fatal to number 2 of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and reviving fears of an extension of the current conflict in the Gaza strip.

“Israeli forces are in a very high state of readiness in all arenas, on defense and on offense. We are highly prepared for any scenario. The most important thing to say tonight is that we are focused and remain focused on the fight against Hamas,” army spokesman Daniel Hagari said late Tuesday.

Earlier, Lebanon was shaken by a strong shock wave with a strike attributed to Israel in the southern suburbs of Beirut, stronghold of pro-Iranian Hezbollah, which killed Saleh al-Arouri, number 2 of the political branch of Hamas , as well as at least six other of its executives.

“A movement whose leaders and founders fall as martyrs for the dignity of our people and our nation will never be defeated,” responded Ismaïl Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, denouncing “a violation of the sovereignty of Lebanon” and an “expansion” of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

Lebanese Hezbollah warned on Tuesday evening that “the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri” was not only a “serious aggression against Lebanon”, but also “a serious development in the war between the enemy and the axis of the resistance”, an expression designating Iran and its regional allies hostile to Israel.

“This crime will not go unanswered or unpunished,” added Hezbollah, whose secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, is due to deliver a highly anticipated speech this Wednesday evening at a time when Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati is accusing Israel of “wanting to lead Lebanon into a new phase of confrontation.”

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, tensions have increased on the Israeli-Lebanese border, in Syria and Iraq where American bases have been targeted, and in the Red Sea with attacks by Houthi rebels. , aimed at curbing international maritime traffic, in “support” of Gaza.

In this context, French President Emmanuel Macron called on Israel to “avoid any escalatory attitude, particularly in Lebanon”, during a telephone interview with Israeli Minister Benny Gantz, member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet.

During this interview, Emmanuel Macron reiterated his call to “work for a lasting ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas and expressed “his deepest concern in the face of the very heavy civilian death toll” in the Gaza Strip. , scene of continuous air raids and artillery fire for almost three months.

“Very difficult for us”

Hamas carried out an attack of unprecedented scale on Israeli soil on October 7, killing around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli data, and taking around 250 people hostage. more than 100 of whom were released at the end of November during a short truce.

In response to the bloody attack, Israel vowed to “destroy” the Palestinian Islamist movement, classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel and the European Union, and has been shelling from the Gaza Strip.

The war has cost the lives of 22,185 people in Gaza, mostly women, adolescents and children, Hamas, which has ruled the territory since 2007, announced on Tuesday.

Saleh al-Arouri, exiled leader of Hamas for the occupied West Bank, is the most senior official of the Palestinian Islamist movement killed since the start of this new war. Shortly after the announcement of his death, many Palestinians gathered in the streets of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.

“The news of the martyrdom of [Saleh al-Arouri] is very difficult for us, but it is no better than more than 20,000 martyrs dead in Gaza,” Diya Zaloum, a young demonstrator, told AFP on the spot.

“Cut to pieces”

Despite pressing demands for a ceasefire from the international community, the Israeli army is preparing for “protracted fighting”, which is expected to last “throughout the year” in the Gaza Strip.

“The idea that we could stop soon is wrong. Without a clear victory, we will not be able to live in the Middle East,” added Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who visited soldiers on Tuesday – 173 of whom died in the Gaza Strip.

On the night of Tuesday to Wednesday (local time), the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, “deplored” “unacceptable” strikes on a hospital in Khan Younes, in the south of the Strip. Gaza, which notably damaged local installations of the Palestinian Red Crescent.

The Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million residents – 85% of whom have been displaced by bombing and fighting according to the UN – face severe shortages of food, water, fuel and medicine.

“I have been here for seven days, sleeping in the rain, without a tent, […] we had to beg for blankets in apartments around,” sighs Wojoud Kamal al-Shinbary, who found refuge in Rafah, a town at the southern tip of the territory, adjoining the border with Egypt.

“We can’t find anything to eat or drink, we’re freezing to death, I have a baby and I can’t find diapers, water or powdered milk for him,” she says. In Jabaliya, in the north of Gaza, Sajda Maarouf also describes her hell after local strikes: “The bombs were falling on us, people were being cut to pieces. […] We want a truce, please, we are exhausted. »

Washington rejects comments by Israeli ministers on Palestinian “emigration” from Gaza

The United States said on Tuesday that it “rejected” comments made by Israeli ministers on a return of Jewish settlers to Gaza, after the current war, and aimed at “encouraging” the Palestinian population to emigrate.

“The United States rejects recent statements by Israeli Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir advocating the relocation of Palestinians out of Gaza,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement, calling the remarks “irresponsible”.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called on Monday for a return of Jewish settlers to Gaza and to “encourage” the Palestinian population to emigrate, the day after a similar call from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

“Promoting a solution that encourages the emigration of Gaza residents is necessary. It is a correct, just, moral and human solution,” declared Mr. Ben Gvir during a meeting of his party, according to comments he himself relayed on social networks.

“I appeal to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, this is the opportunity to develop a project aimed at encouraging the emigration of Gaza residents to other countries in the world,” he said. he adds.

He said the departure of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip would also pave the way for the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territory.

“These comments are inflammatory and irresponsible,” the State Department spokesperson said, noting that “the Israeli government, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has repeatedly told us that these statements do not reflect the position of the Israeli government.

The United States believes that “Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land,” he added.

Mr. Netanyahu’s government, combining right-wing, far-right parties and ultra-orthodox Jewish groups, is already accused of having largely strengthened the weight of settlers in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967.

France Media Agency