Israel forewarned of a protracted Gaza war, projecting its continuation throughout 2024. The relentless strikes claim numerous lives in the Palestinian territory, met with a midnight rocket barrage from Hamas.
Daniel Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israeli military, discloses a tactical decision to afford a respite to a portion of the 300,000 army reservists engaged in the ongoing conflict. This break is strategically designed to facilitate preparation for the upcoming “prolonged fighting.”
With the conflict fueled by the October 7 Hamas attacks persisting, Hagari stresses the army’s obligation to strategize for the future, recognizing the likelihood of being called upon for further tasks and warfare throughout the year.
Heavy artillery unleashes devastation on Gaza once more, claiming the lives of at least 24 individuals, according to health ministry officials. Reports indicate that the attacks span the entire expanse of the Hamas-administered territory.
Amidst the besieged Gaza Strip, where the UN reports an 85 percent displacement rate among the population, 20-year-old Hamdan Abu Arab expresses his hope for a better 2024.
“We used to go out and enjoy our time on the last day of the year,” he recalled. “But this New Year’s Eve, there are only missiles and the remains of people.”
The health ministry reports a tragic discovery on Monday as 15 lifeless bodies from a single family are recovered from the debris of a bombed residence in Jabalia, located in the northern Gaza Strip.
“It’s the worst year of our lives. They have killed our sons,” Sami Hamouda, 64, told AFP. “Every new day is like the previous one: bombings, death and mass killings.”
Hamas marked the start of the year by firing a rocket barrage at Israel in what it called a “response to the massacres of civilians”.
AFP journalists in Tel Aviv witnessed missile defence systems intercept rockets overhead as some revellers ran for cover and others kept up the party with a shrug.
“My heart was pounding,” said one, Gabriel Zemelman, 26, shortly after the rocket fire. “It’s terrifying. You just saw the life we live, it’s crazy.”
The bloodiest-ever Gaza war was triggered by Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of around 1,140 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
The militants also took around 250 people hostage that day, more than half of whom remain in Gaza according to Israeli officials.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and launched a punishing offensive that has reduced vast areas of Gaza to a ruined wasteland and killed at least 21,978 people, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s health ministry.
The Israeli army says 172 soldiers have been killed inside Gaza in the battle against the Islamist militant group which Israel, the United States and European Union have designated a “terrorist” organisation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Saturday that the fighting would last “many months until Hamas is eliminated and the hostages are returned”.
Hagari said the army was “adapting the planning of the force deployment in Gaza and the reserve system. Some of the reservists will return to their families and employment this week.
‘This will significantly ease the burden on the economy and allow them to gather strength for the upcoming activities in the next year, as the fighting will continue and they will still be required.’
Gazans have been grappling with acute shortages of food, water, fuel, and medicine since the start of the war, exacerbated by Israel’s imposed siege. On Sunday, a measure of respite is witnessed as about 120 aid trucks enter the territory.
‘We are exhausted… We were displaced five times during this war,’ said 29-year-old Bassam Hana.
‘We hope things improve in 2024 and that we live just like any other human being. Currently, we live like animals.’
One Palestinian man, Bilal Emad Abu Haykal, recounted how, weeks ago, Israeli tanks rolled up outside his home in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahia,
He was told to head south but was then stopped on the road by soldiers, who took the men’s clothes ahead of questioning them, he said, recounting that “we stayed on the road without any food or water”.
‘When they took us, the buildings here were still standing. But when we came back at night, we found the houses in ruins or on fire.’
‘All was turned into ruins or destroyed, I didn’t even recognise the streets of Beit Lahia — destruction that I cannot describe.’
Hagari, in a briefing on Sunday, said several militants “were killed and subdued during the battles in Khan Yunis”, the main southern city, earlier in the day.
‘We are continuing to handle the underground tunnels and to strike the rocket launching array, in order to reduce rocket fire into the State of Israel,’ he said, adding that ‘dozens of aircraft are in the skies of Gaza at any given moment’.
Diplomatic initiatives from international mediators continue as they strive to establish a new break in the ongoing hostilities.
Sources reveal that on Friday, a Hamas delegation from Qatar visited Cairo to explore an Egyptian three-phase plan. The plan suggests renewable ceasefires, a gradual release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and, ultimately, an end to the conflict.
Their allies Islamic Jihad said on Saturday that Palestinian factions were evaluating the proposal and would give a response “within days”.
The conflict in Gaza has instilled concerns about a potential broader regional clash, as hostilities escalate with predominantly Iran-backed militant groups in neighboring countries, asserting their actions in support of Hamas.
The Israeli army declared on Sunday night that it thwarted two “hostile aircraft” flying from Syria towards northern Israel, showcasing its interception capabilities.
Previously, there were reports of launches directed towards Israeli territory from Lebanon, a region where clashes with the Hezbollah militant group have been ongoing.