Israel raises the tone with Lebanon. Benny Gantz, minister without portfolio in the war cabinet, warned today that “the situation on our northern border demands change. The time for a diplomatic solution is running out and if the Lebanese Government does not act to prevent the bombings in the north and to keep Hizbullah away from the border, our forces will do so.
The Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon if Beirut does not take action against the Iranian-backed militia is once again on the table. And so, if adding dozens, hundreds of victims every day from the Gaza war is the norm in recent weeks in Israel and Gaza, the fronts are not far behind.
The tension is high, although in everyday life outside the routine the routine sometimes forgets it. Then the body count arrives and everything changes.
The number of victims in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli army’s offensive against Hamas now reaches 21,110 dead, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. In the last 24 hours alone, 195 people have died.
The Israeli Government, for its part, admits 498 casualties in its army, also in a constant trickle.
Ground operations on the ground are, however, today far from seeing a pause: they occur in the north and south, with particular intensity in Gaza City – which the Israeli army considered controlled days ago, but where daily clashes occur – and in Khan Yunis, including hospital environments. More evacuations have also been ordered in the center of the Palestinian enclave.
“The Red Cross must do more,” the Israeli government spokesman asked reporters, showing his certainty that Hamas uses them as shields. When asked about reports that bodies had been taken from Gaza, it is reported that they were taken to Israeli territory to be identified with forensic techniques only accessible outside and returned.
The humanitarian situation is, furthermore, “critical”, the UN also reiterates every day. The strong offensive by land, sea and air has been going on for 82 days and most of the population remains displaced, hospitals have collapsed, epidemics are breaking out, there is a shortage of drinking water, food, medicine, electricity and fuel, this organization denounces.
And it’s winter.
Israeli Prime Minister Beniamin Netanyahu insists that it will be fought “to the end” despite growing pressure – internal and external – for a ceasefire. Benny Gantz, his defense minister, added today: “The war will continue and expand.” In his absence, the Turkish president, Tayyip Recep Erdogan, has gone further and called the Israeli premier no different from Hitler.
The prime minister has responded by citing the Turkish “genocide” on the Kurds.
There are no known new negotiations despite Egypt’s two recent attempts.
Meanwhile, in Lebanon, one of the seven fronts that Israel admitted fighting this Monday, the clashes of recent days with Hizbullah are repeated, and Iran announced today that the massacre of October 7 was a response to the assassination of its commander Qasem Soleimani In 2020, it does not predict changes.
