The Israeli army continued its bombings on the besieged Gaza Strip on Wednesday, saying it was ready to face “any scenario” the day after a strike near Beirut killed a senior leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas which revived fears of an extension of the conflict.
Although it did not claim responsibility for the elimination in Beirut on Tuesday evening of Saleh al-Arouri, 57, Hamas’ political number two, Israel is widely considered responsible for the fatal strike on the founder of the movement’s military branch, after having vowed to “destroy” Hamas in response to its unprecedented attack on October 7 on Israeli soil.
Now, “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,” said army spokesman Daniel Hagari.
He spoke on Tuesday evening, shortly after the shock wave caused in Lebanon by the strike attributed to Israel in the southern suburbs of Beirut, stronghold of pro-Iranian Hezbollah, which partially destroyed a building in which the number two from the political wing of Hamas and at least six other of its cadres all killed.
“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 a “expansion” of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
“Significant risk”
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 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 on Wednesday evening. The Lebanese Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, accused Israel of “wanting to drag Lebanon into a new phase of confrontation”.
For analyst Maha Yahya, director of the Beirut-based Carnegie Middle East Center, “the risk of escalation is significant, but Hezbollah is working to avoid being drawn into conflict,” she said. to the AFP.
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. , again Tuesday evening according to the American army, to slow down maritime traffic in “support” of Gaza.
French President Emmanuel Macron called on Israel to “avoid any escalatory attitude, particularly in Lebanon” during a telephone exchange with Israeli Minister Benny Gantz, a member of Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, for his part, described the strike as a “cowardly terrorist operation”.
The Hamas attack on October 7 left around 1,140 dead in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli data. Commandos from the movement had taken around 250 people hostage, more than 100 of whom were released at the end of November during a week-long truce.
The war which has lasted for almost three months has cost the lives of 22,313 people in Gaza, mainly women, adolescents and children, according to a new report Wednesday from Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel and the ‘European Union.
“Difficult for us”
Saleh al-Arouri, Hamas leader in exile for the occupied West Bank, is the highest-ranking Hamas official killed since October 7. 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 he is not worth more than those who died as martyrs in Gaza and are more than 20,000,” Diya Zaloum told AFP, a young protester.
On Wednesday, the cities of Nablus and Ramallah in particular came to a halt, responding to the Palestinian Authority’s call for residents to observe a general strike. AFP photos show empty streets and closed businesses.
In Arura, a small village north of Ramallah, where Saleh al-Arouri was from, the green Hamas flag flew above the family home on Wednesday.
Despite 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.
“Cut to pieces”
On the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, “deplored” “unacceptable” strikes on a hospital in Khan Younes, in the south of the Gaza Strip, which including damage to local Palestinian Red Crescent facilities.
Wednesday morning, an AFP journalist reported strikes on Khan Younes where the Hamas health ministry counted “numerous” deaths.
The Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million residents face severe shortages of food, water, fuel and medicine. Despite a UN resolution, humanitarian aid is trickling in.
“I’ve been here for seven days, sleeping in the rain, without a tent […] we had to beg for blankets in nearby apartments,” sighs Wojoud Kamal al-Shinbary, who found refuge in Rafah, a town bordering Egypt.
In Jabaliya, in the north of Gaza, Sajda Maarouf also testifies to her hell after local strikes: “the bombs fell on us, people were cut to pieces […] we want a truce, please, we are exhausted.”