Israel Army Raids Jenin, Hamas Ambushes Israel Troop (image-instagram/motaz_azaiza)
Israel forces continues to storm to Jenin camp and at least four of young Palestinians are reported to be killed in a drone strike, in the occupied West Bank. The killings were confirmed by the Palestinian Ministry of Health on Tuesday.
The raids have become a daily occurrence across the West Bank ever since October 7 attack. There were also raids reported in the towns of Jama’in and Azmut in the Nablus Governorate as well as Bethlehem, Beit Fajjar, the outskirts of Qalandiya camp and al-Jib. Israel forces continues to storm into residents’ houses and arrest civilians.
As per the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), an attack by Palestinian fighters killed several Israeli soldiers on Tuesday in Gaza. The attack which took place in Shujaiya of Gaza city began with the ambushing of an Israeli petrol that entered a three-building complex. The Palestinian force switched the focus of the attack when a reaction force was sent to rescue the patrol.
The reports says that Hamas fighters attacked the troop by using improvised explosive devices and grenades. “Israel recovered the bodies of the Israeli fireteam, but five additional Israeli soldiers died during the rescue operation including a battalion commander, three company commanders, and the ‘head of the Golani Brigade’s forward command team’,” the ISW reports.
The attack was marked as one of the deadliest single attacks that Palestinian militants have carried out since the ground invasion. The attack came after the repeated recent claims by the Israel military that it had broken Hamas’ command structure in northern Gaza.
Meanwhile, the Israel army website was hacked by a pro-Palestinian group on Wednesday. The troop has warned more cyber-attacks in the following days. The group calling itself, “Anonymous Jo” wrote a short letter in the main page of the army website which read, “the military’s “arrogance and injustice toward our people in Gaza will only harm you through terror, killing and war, whether by land, air or electronically.”
The letter further went on to call for the “liberation of Palestine”.
The US defence chief promised an ‘enduring support’ during a phone call with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant. US defense secretary Lloyd Austin said that Hamas “can never repeat the October 7 attacks” on Israel.
I spoke today with Israeli Minister of Defense Gallant to reiterate support for Israel’s right to self-defense. I emphasized the need to protect civilians and increase humanitarian assistance in Gaza.https://t.co/3hN2ZN2MUc
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) December 14, 2023
Austin also condemned Lebanon’s Hezbollah for threatening the communities in northern Israel and called for “calm” along the UN demarcation line between the two countries.
As war enters to third month, the lives of the civilians has worsened even further. Many Palestinians had to flee from the once safe camps and hospitals. People are seen fleeing from Jabalia refugee camp due to the nonstop Israeli attacks in the middle of intense rainfall. Winter rainfall in Gaza has increased the spread of diseases among the displaced.
At least 18,608 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attack since October 7 in which 70% of them are women and children. The number of women and children killed in Gaza “has surpassed anything we’ve seen in recent conflicts”, says Reem Alsalem, the UN’s special rapporteur.
