Israel prepares for year-long Gaza war: 200 Palestinians killed in IDF airstrikes after Hamas rocket shatters seven-day ceasefire ending hostage exchange
- The conflict could rage on for more than another year, military experts warn
- The US urged its ally to show restraint as 200 Palestinians were killed Friday.
Israel is reportedly planning an intensified and extended campaign in the Gaza Strip lasting potentially more than a year as hostilities resume in the beleaguered Palestinian enclave.
A multiphase strategy is expected to see Israeli forces sweep south from their forward bases around Gaza City in an effort to kill Hamas' top officials, according to sources familiar with Israeli operations. 'This will be a very long war ... we're currently not near halfway to achieving our objectives,' said one source, as reported by the Financial Times.
Hostilities resumed in Gaza on Friday after a six-day truce was extended by 24 hours in a last-minute deal made on Thursday in an effort to free the remaining hostages. At least 200 Palestinians have since been killed in the clashes, prompting the US urging its ally to do everything possible to protect civilians.
'This is going to be very important going forward,' secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Friday after meetings with Arab foreign ministers in Dubai. 'It's something we're going to be looking at very closely.'
Many of Israel's attacks on Saturday were focused on the Khan Younis area in southern Gaza, where the military said it had struck more than 50 Hamas targets with air strikes, tank fire and its navy. FULL ACCOUNT AT: https://mol.im/a/12817223 via https://dailym.ai/android
No comments:
Post a Comment