CAIRO/GAZA. On Sunday, Israeli forces advanced further into the Shejaia neighborhood in northern Gaza and pushed deeper into Rafah in the south, resulting in the deaths of at least six Palestinians and the destruction of several homes, according to residents.
Israeli tanks, which re-entered Shejaia four days ago, fired shells at multiple houses, leaving families trapped inside. The residents reported being unable to evacuate due to the ongoing shelling.
At the start of the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his stance on the necessity of achieving victory over Hamas. “Our forces are operating in Rafah, Shejaia, everywhere in the Gaza Strip. Dozens of terrorists are being eliminated every day. This is a difficult fight that is being waged above ground, sometimes in hand-to-hand combat, and below ground as well,” Netanyahu stated.
“We are committed to fighting until we achieve all of our objectives: eliminating Hamas, returning all of our hostages, ensuring that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to Israel, and returning our residents securely to their homes in the south and the north,” he added.
The Israeli military reported that forces in Shejaia had killed several Palestinian gunmen over the past day. They also claimed to have discovered military infrastructure inside a United Nations school, along with dozens of weapons and “valuable intelligence documents.”
On Saturday, the Israeli military announced the deaths of two Israeli soldiers in northern Gaza. During another raid in Shejaia, the military reported locating a “terrorist war room” at a clinic, accusing Hamas of embedding itself in civilian structures for terror purposes. Hamas denies using civilian sites for military activities.
The armed wing of Hamas, along with allied Islamic Jihad, reported intense fighting in Shejaia and Rafah. They stated that their fighters had launched anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs at Israeli forces operating in these areas.
More than eight months into Israel’s air and ground war in Gaza, militants continue to launch attacks on Israeli forces, even in areas the Israeli army claims to have controlled for months.
Efforts by Arab mediators, supported by the United States, to secure a ceasefire have so far been unsuccessful. Hamas insists that any agreement must end the war and result in a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Israel, however, will only accept temporary pauses in the fighting until Hamas, which has governed Gaza since 2007, is eradicated.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
