(new: paragraphs 6-8: World Security Council, lawsuit before the ICJ)
GAZA/TEL AVIV (dpa-AFX) – Israel’s army says it is expanding its operations in the area around the city of Khan Yunis in the south of the Gaza Strip. The military announced this in a statement on Friday. Meanwhile, the Hamas-controlled health authority in the Gaza Strip said 187 people had been killed in one day. This information could not be independently verified. After a year in office, Israel’s government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are under great pressure.
Israel suspects Hamas leadership in Khan Yunis
Regarding the operations in the area around Khan Yunis, the Israeli army said: “The soldiers eliminated terrorist cells with the help of artillery, air and tank troops.” Emergency services also found explosives in the apartments of members of the Islamist Hamas. Buildings equipped with explosive devices were destroyed. According to reports, soldiers also found a number of tunnels and weapons in the area. The military’s information could not initially be independently verified.
Israel suspects that the leadership of the Islamist Hamas is hiding in Khan Yunis. The military had previously urged the city’s residents to seek safety further south in Rafah, near the Egyptian border.
The war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel’s history, which terrorists from Hamas and other groups carried out in Israel on October 7th. Israel responded with massive air strikes and began a ground offensive in late October. In view of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the sealed-off coastal area and the high number of civilian casualties, Israel has recently come under increasing international criticism.
Hamas authorities: Many victims in one day
According to the health authority in the Gaza Strip, which is subordinate to Hamas, 187 people were killed in Israeli attacks within one day. The authority announced on Friday that 312 Palestinians were also injured. The total number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war rose to 21,507. The number was last given on Thursday as 21,320. According to the latest information, 55,915 more people were injured in the Gaza war.
The figures cannot currently be confirmed, but the UN and other observers point out that the authority’s figures have proven to be overall credible in the past. Meanwhile, at the UN Security Council in New York on Friday, a UN representative emphasized that the humanitarian situation had continued to deteriorate despite the UN resolution passed a week ago to increase aid to the Gaza Strip.
South Africa sues Israel in UN court for “genocide”
South Africa has accused Israel of genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip at the United Nations’ highest court. The lawsuit filed on Friday with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague also calls for Israel to stop its attacks in Gaza, the ICJ said. South Africa claimed that the actions of the Israeli armed forces had a “genocidal character” as they were aimed at the extermination of Palestinians in the area.
Israel immediately and firmly rejected South Africa’s accusation. “South Africa’s lawsuit has no basis in fact or in law,” said a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry on X. Lawyers in The Hague assume that there could be an initial hearing on South Africa’s claims within a few weeks. If the ICJ then opens corresponding proceedings, it could still be years before a verdict is reached.
One year in office – Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu under pressure
After a year in office, Israel’s government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are under great pressure. The Israeli public’s current distrust of a head of government in wartime is unprecedented, the Haaretz newspaper reported on Friday. According to polls, the majority of Israelis want Netanyahu to resign after the end of the Gaza war at the latest. Many people accuse him of not yet admitting personal responsibility for the Hamas massacre on October 7th.
But even before the terrorist attack, there had been repeated mass protests in Israel against Netanyahu and his coalition, which was sworn in on December 29, 2022. The most right-wing government in Israel’s history is pushing ahead with highly controversial judicial reform. In the months before the war, it was criticized for endangering Israel’s security and unity.
Israel could face a national crisis
The Supreme Court in Israel is expected to decide on the first core element of this judicial reform by mid-January. Israel’s parliament in Jerusalem passed the first amendment to the law at the end of July despite massive resistance from the population. It is intended to deprive the Supreme Court of the opportunity to take action against “inappropriate” decisions by the government, the Prime Minister or individual ministers. In Israel’s history, a comparable law has never been struck down by the Supreme Court. If this happens and the government does not accept the decision, the country will face a national crisis.
Haaretz newspaper speculates that Netanyahu does not want an end to the war
A year ago, former long-term Prime Minister Netanyahu returned to power after 18 months in the opposition. In Israel’s history, no one has been in office longer than the 74-year-old. It is uncertain whether Netanyahu will be able to remain as head of government after the war given the colossal failure on October 7th. Critics accuse him of having tolerated or even encouraged the rise of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. According to recent surveys, the party of Benny Gantz, minister in the war cabinet, would be by far the strongest faction. Haaretz already speculated that Netanyahu wanted the war in the Gaza Strip to never end in order to hold on to power as long as possible./cir/DP/he