- The humanitarian situation in Gaza may cause more concern abroad if it adopts a new long-term military strategy.
- Over 8,500 Palestinians have died as a result of airstrikes, according to health authorities headed by Hamas in Gaza.
- Israel declared on Tuesday that no agreement was in sight to release additional prisoners through Qatari mediation.
Although Israel is more determined than ever to defeat Hamas, the humanitarian situation in Gaza may cause more concern abroad if it adopts a new long-term military strategy aimed at minimizing its losses.
Armed forces are advancing into the densely populated enclave bit by bit with the support of tanks and artillery as part of a ground campaign to overthrow the people in control of the Gaza Strip.
Gaza Raids a Deadlier War
The first casualties announced by the Israeli army since the ground offensive began on Friday were two soldiers who died in combat in northern Gaza, the military said on Tuesday.
One of the bloodiest single attacks since the aerial bombardment started more than three weeks ago, a series of Israeli airstrikes on a packed refugee camp resulted in hundreds of deaths and injuries, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Since the attacks on October 7, over 8,500 Palestinians have died as a result of airstrikes, according to health authorities headed by Hamas in Gaza. While Israeli forces attacked a Hamas outpost, killing dozens of militants, residents on the ground report seeing armored vehicles on the outskirts of Gaza City, several kilometers across the border.
As a result of this gradual approach, the Israeli government and military are preparing the public and themselves for a campaign that will likely take months rather than weeks.
While troops are hesitant to approach the extensive network of covert underground tunnels where Hamas hides, the current campaign is being carried out gradually to prevent open combat in populated areas.
Go-slow strategies run the risk of dragging out a conflict, but they might be successful in reducing Israeli military losses and possibly civilian casualties. Additionally, the negotiation of the hostages—of which Hamas, which the US and EU have designated as a terrorist organization, has taken about 240—has lost focus.
Israel declared on Tuesday that no agreement was in sight to release additional prisoners through Qatari mediation. Since the Hamas attacks, Israeli bombing has resulted in an unprecedented number of civilian deaths, which has drawn increasing international criticism.
This has created a dire humanitarian crisis that has forced more than 60% of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents to flee their homes. Their situation has worsened due to Israel’s blockade of fuel and power supplies, as well as the scarcity of food and water.
