Israel intensified its bombing of Hamas militia targets in the Gaza Strip, ahead of an expected ground offensive in the Palestinian enclave. In the last few hours, “the Israeli Defense Forces They attacked more than 400 terrorist targets«said a spokesman for the Israeli Army, assuring that the troops carried out «a large-scale operation.»
The Israeli bombings came after Hamas freed two elderly Israeli women who were among hundreds of hostages captured during its brutal Oct. 7 attack on towns in southern Israel, which left 1,400 people dead, most of them civilians.
Read also: This is what the “Gaza subway” looks like inside, the network of tunnels where the Hamas arsenal and leadership are hidden
The two freed hostages, Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, and Nurit Cooper, 79, left Gaza through the Rafah border crossing towards Egypt. The women, along with their husbands, were taken from their homes in the Nir Oz kibbutz, near the Gaza border. Their husbands, aged 83 and 84, were not released.
In the midst of a wave of diplomatic activity in Israel since the start of the war, the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, He arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, where he met with relatives of hostages in Gaza before meeting senior Israeli officials.
Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been left without food, water and medicine since Israel sealed the territory after the attack and humanitarian aid is arriving in dribs and drabs. Israeli bombings against the Strip they left more than 5,200 deadamong extensive areas reduced to rubble and with more than a million displaced people suffering extremely difficult living conditions.
Arab-Israeli actress who worked with Brad Pitt arrested for posting a pro-Gaza message
Maisa Abd Elhadi (Photo: Cohen Media Group/The Times of Israel)
Israel arrested Maisa Abd Elhadi for posting messages of support for the Palestinian cause on her social networks and on suspicion of “expressions of praise for terrorism and hate speech.”
This is what the “Gaza subway” looks like inside, the network of tunnels where the Hamas arsenal and leadership are hidden
Hamas militiamen in one of the Gaza tunnels (Photo: Reuters)
By Marcelo Izquierdo. The Palestinian armed group claims it built a 500-kilometer network of passages underground. The cost of Israel in a guerrilla war.
UN chief condemns ‘clear violations of humanitarian law’ in Gaza
The Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, condemned this Tuesday before the Security Council the «clear violations of humanitarian law» in Gaza and demanded an «immediate» ceasefire to alleviate the «epic suffering» of the Gazan population.
«No party to a conflict is above international humanitarian law,» Guterres said, calling for an «immediate humanitarian ceasefire» to alleviate «epic suffering, make the delivery of aid easier and safer, and facilitate the release of the hostages» in a debate on the situation in the Middle East led by Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, whose country presides over the Security Council this October.
Death toll in Gaza rises to 5,791 since the start of the war with Israel
At least 5,791 people died in the Gaza Strip by Israeli bombings in retaliation for the attack by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on October 7 that left some 1,400 dead and more than 220 kidnapped.
Of the total number of deaths in Gaza, according to figures released this Monday by the Strip’s Ministry of Health, 40% are children, 22% are women and 5% are elderly. About 700 people died in the last 24 hours.
Added to these figures are the 16,297 people who had to receive medical attention in the Palestinian enclave since the beginning of the war with Israel.
One of the hostages released by Hamas spoke: «They took me into Gaza on a motorcycle and they hurt me»
Yochved Lifshitz, one of the Hamas hostages released last night by the al-Qasam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamist group that controls Gaza, said that she was taken by motorcycle to the Palestinian enclave when she was kidnapped and that she was injured by her captors.
Lifshitz, 85, spoke from the Tel Aviv hospital where she is hospitalized, still very affected and somewhat disoriented, and asked for the release of all the hostages, who numbered more than 220.
«They took me, with my legs on one side and my head on the other, on a motorcycle,» said this woman sitting in a wheelchair during her appearance before the media, where she assured that when she was transported to Gaza her kidnappers They beat her with sticks.
He added that his captors took away his watch and the jewelry he was wearing. After making part of the journey on a motorcycle, they forced him to walk until they reached a tunnel to enter the Strip.
The elderly woman described Hamas’ network of tunnels as «a spider web.»
At the end of one of the tunnels she was taken to a large room where there were 25 other kidnapped peopleuntil two or three hours later she was taken with four other hostages to a separate room.
There, «they treated us well,» he noted, specifying that they gave him food and medicine.
Lifshitz regretted that a fence that cost «2 billion» had not served to protect Israelis, referring to the security barrier that separates Gaza from Israel.
The al Qasam Brigades reported last night the release of Lifshitz and another Israeli woman, Nurit Yitzhak, 80, after mediation by Egypt and Qatar.
The husbands of both women, who were also kidnapped, remain in the hands of the Islamists. The four were kidnapped on October 7 from their homes in the Nir Oz kibbutz.
Lifshitz’s husband is well-known peace activist Oded Lifshitz, 83, who has transported cancer patients in Gaza to Israeli hospitals for treatment.
Macron asks from Israel «not to expand the conflict» with Hamas
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, called this Tuesday «not to expand the conflict» between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas, and considered that the release of the hostages in Gaza is «the first objective», in a meeting with his Israeli counterpart in Jerusalem.
«I think it is our duty to combat these terrorist groups, without confusion, and I would say without expanding the conflict,» Macron declared.
The president added in his meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog that «The first objective we should have today is the release of all the hostages«captured by Hamas, more than 200 according to the Israeli authorities. According to the Government of Israel, 22 Frenchmen were murdered and three others remain missing.
«It is a horrible crime to play with the lives of children, adults, the elderly, civilians and soldiers«said the French president.
«I want you to be sure that you are not alone in this war against terrorism,» Macron also said, emphasizing the «need» to precisely target «these terrorist groups.»
«We will do everything in our power to bring peace, security and stability to your country and the entire region,» the French president continued.
Macron traveled to Israel this Tuesday to express his solidarity with Israel after the surprise attack by the Islamist movement Hamas, in power in the Gaza Strip, which since October 7 left 1,400 dead on the Israeli side. He is also trying to de-escalate the escalation, which left more than 5,200 dead in the Gaza Strip, the vast majority civilians, due to Israel’s intense bombing.
Macron also seeks a «humanitarian pause» of the conflict, which would allow international aid to enter Gaza, which in turn would help the release of the hostages and relaunch a «political perspective», according to French sources
Macron plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and also visit the West Bank to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Israel launched a large-scale nighttime bombardment on the northern Gaza Strip
A Palestinian citizen walks through the rubble of a gas station that was destroyed after the nighttime bombing launched by Israel. (REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)
An Israeli Army spokesman reported that “more than 400 terrorist targets” were attacked. The attacks left at least 140 dead and dozens injured.