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© Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Israel expands Gaza ground offensive; says efforts in south will be 'no less strength' than in north
By NAJIB JOBAIN and KAREEM CHEHAYEB KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
51 Comments
falseflagsteve
I think we can see a wider plan here that is very concerning. Also many in the West Bank are having their homes and land stolen by settlers with the Israeli government and IDF ignoring these awful crimes.
elephant200
Kamala Harris told Egypt's president that “under no circumstances” would the U.S. permit the forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, an ongoing siege of Gaza or the redrawing of its borders.
Don't believe anything spoken from the U.S. official. The situation is very clear, Israel is pushing the Palestinians out of South Gaza, more than 1 million refugees in that tiny land known as South Gaza, either they are going to dies or exit to Egypt. There was even no ships or boats can send them out of the Mediterranean sea. What this is for? Resettling Israeli settlers to live in Gaza district!
RichardPearce
And that is what Nakba denialism has lead to. Now, "we" are looking at a blatant violation of EVERY CLAUSE of the CPPCG and denying what it is.
deanzaZZR
Bombing and shelling civilians including women and children certainly is offensive.
kurisupisu
Plain to see what Israel is doing?
Aly Rustom
Elsewhere in the region, Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group said it struck Israeli positions near the tense Lebanon-Israel border. Eleven people — eight soldiers and three civilians — were wounded by Hezbollah fire in the area of Beit Hillel, army radio reported. The military said its artillery struck sources of fire from Lebanon. It also said its fighter jets struck other Hezbollah targets.
And Iraqi militants with the Iran-backed umbrella group the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said they struck the Kharab al-Jir U.S. military base in Syria with rockets. A U.S. military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said rockets hit Rumalyn Landing Zone in Syria but there were no reports of casualties or damage.
Like I said, this is most likely going to turn into a regional conflict as a war of attrition.
Israel is clearly committing genocide
Capuchin
"Israel needs to create a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, compelling tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands to seek refuge in Egypt or the Gulf.
As a result, Gaza will become a place where no human being can exist, and I say this as a means rather than an end.
The entire population of Gaza will either move to Egypt or move to the Gulf. From our perspective, every building in Gaza known to have Hamas headquarters underneath, including schools and hospitals, is considered a military target."
"The international community is warning us against a severe humanitarian disaster and severe epidemics. We must not shy away from this. After all, severe epidemics in the south of Gaza will bring victory closer."
Giora Eiland - retired major general of the IDF, senior research associate at the Institute for National Security Studies and former head of the Israeli National Security Council.
No need to conceal Israel's genocidal intentions when its allies allow it to act with total impunity.
GuruMick
Really, who is worse , Hamas or Israel
stormcrow
It's time for Hamas to release the hostages and to give themselves up and come out with their hands up.
After which, they should all go on trial for mass murder, mass rape, mass torture, etc.
wallace
More dead children.
u_s__reamer
Really, who is worse , Hamas or Israel
You left the usual suspects off the list: the US, UK, France, Germany et al. As they watch voters turning away with revulsion from the blatant hypocrisy of their elected (or unelected) leaders, politicians in the West who support Israeli war crimes are now themselves feeling the heat defending the indefensible and the voice of their inner anti-semite will be silently or not cursing Netanyahu (hated by all US presidents).
wallace
The bombing and killing of civilians and the destruction of their homes is never acceptable whatever the reasons given. The US is now disturbed by what is happening.
Antiquesaving
So as expected! The move South to safety was just a way to get people out and have a better concentrated Target to continue the extermination of the Palestinians or force them into Egypt so Israel can finally annex the territory!
Once that done Netanyahu and his gang will figure a way or excuse to do the same in the west bank!
We know this because he and his kind have actually said this was their goal!
The increasing number of settlements despite the supposed freeze the constant attacks by settlers on the Palestinians hear by, the supplying of the settlers with military grade weapons ponts to it.
And the west will sit back and let Israel get away with it all!
Then when Arab countries, individuals and groups start targeting western interests, countries and people, the west will act like it is all the Arabs fault.
Antiquesaving
While Hamas are animals at least they are honest and say what they mean and want!
Israel says one thing but has done the opposite without opposition from the west!
Who is worse? Well seeing that Israel despite the agreements they signed, has continued to expand more settlers and settlements in the west bank, despite the " autonomy" supposedly given to the Palestinian authority, Israel has kept a clenched fist around everything they do including forbidding water, cisterns building construction entry and exit, etc... before this latest conflict, between 2009 and October 7th over 6000 Palestinians were killed by Israelis with around half being women and children, with over 1000 of those killed being in the West Bank and over 2000 killed during non conflict periods.
During that same time period fewer than 400 Israelis were killed!
The numbers speak for themselves, many if the west bank killings were/are by settlers armed by the IDF attacking neighbouring Palestinians and then taking over their "abandoned" land all with the IDF providing protection of the settlers so no Palestinians can return to take their land back!
At least until now Hamas had prevented this from happening in Gaza.
I would never support Hamas or approve of their methods but when the only other option is to lie down and die under the boot if Israeli right wing government and the IDF war criminals, it is no wonder Hamas was born!
Aly Rustom
Civil War And More Slaughter: Israel's Dark Future | Knesset Member Dr. Ofer Cassif - YouTube
This is an excellent interview with a Knesset member. It is extremely eye opening. It's about 48 min long but well worth the watch.
elephant200
@Wallace: The US is now disturbed by what is happening.
Are you sure? They are enabling all of this happening, weapons and bombs were on their way of transportation. The seven days of ceasefire was due to Israel airforce runs out of Mk82,83,84 bombs, they need to restock from USA !
John-San
The IDF drop pamphlets advising Gazan where the safe zone are in South Gaza. The only problem is on these pamphlets are QR code which give the information where the safe zones are. So you have use your iPhone to scan but there is no power to charge your phone. Another war crime added the IDF list.
itsonlyrocknroll
The 7th October will go down in history not only for Hamas gross error of judgement, also for its infamy, the sacrifice of any prospect for nation of Palestine.
All for an extremist ideological form of Islamic fundamentalism.
The people of Gaza are now kettled in the south.
These 99 U.N. facilities must be afforded complete security as designated places of safety. A UN observer force on the ground fully in place.
I don't even begin to wonder what will be left of Gaza infrastructure.
Antiquesaving
What nation?
Even in the west bank Israel has broken every agreement including expanding settlers, it has prevented the PA with the UN from building everything including water cisterns!
It has killed over 1000 Palestinians in the west bank between 2009 and October 7th half being women and children! No Hamas involved!
As opposed to netanyahu's Israel is a jewish state extreme ideology?
I guess facts from the past are irrelevant, but in such cases in every conflict, those UN safety zones have been a major target by Israel. Whether it's Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza, etc... Israel has actively targeted all these places and the UN has made that clear and the US has blocked every attempt using its veto to condemn Israel for these acts.
There will be nothing because that was netanyahu's plan. He left Hamas there waiting for this chance to ethnically cleanse the area and the fact that just a few days after the October 7th attack, he instructed his government to come up with a plan on how to remove and expel all Palestinians from the area. This was actually reported in a leak by Israeli newspapers.
This is a genocide plain and simple one that people like Netanyahu have been planning or wanting for decades. This is nothing to do with the Jewish people. Nothing to do with regular Israelis. This is the extremists who whole power and control the military.
itsonlyrocknroll
Antiquesaving,
When Hamas took the decision to attack, cross the boarder into Israel, to kill civilians, families, women children, take hostages, obviously the implications could be dire.
How dire is where the region is now.
The political agendas are yet to fully understood and quantified.
Chabbawanga
Israel will never be forgiven. Like the Nazis they ran from.
itsonlyrocknroll
Hamas could have handed Netanyahu the means to, at least attempt to justify his continued pursuit of a war where the entire Palestinian population have a target on there backs.
What repercussions await have yet to be fully realized, especially in the Arab world.
Chabbawanga
Israel already new all the details of the attack. They chose not to act on that information. Too great an opportunity to miss.
bass4funk
Nazis? Just idiotic rhetoric, my family lived through the Nazi era and there is absolutely no comparison or correlation between what Israel is doing and what the Nazis use I doubt if Israel cares one way or another if the world forgives them or not, frankly, there is nothing to forgive, they have every right and a moral obligation to protect the Jewish homeland.
John-San
What is the fact and timeline. 07/10 4:30 am Hamas brake out and starts it attack: 6:00 IDF declares war and all reservist are massaged and ordered to stand to. 6:30am IDF employs the Hannibal directive and start their attack. 8:30 Hamas return to Gaza with 240 Hostages. 9:00 am Gazan street gang which follow the Hamas brake out start revenge killing and raping.
Facts:
The Hannibal directive allow the IDF to fire on any enemy weather they have IDF hostages or not. IDF attack houses with Hamas and Hostages with tank shells killing all inside. The Hannibal directive action accounts for 70% of casualties on the morning of 07/10.
Reservist ( from 1974 ) are any Jew over 18 with an Israel passport has to do military service for a period of 1 to 3 years. Once the stand to orders are issued you are IDF. This mean Hostages over 18 to 65 are considered IDF. Allowing the attacking IDF not to negotiate with the enemy and fire at the enemy weather they are holding any IDF personal or not. This IDF action of the Hannibal directive accounts 70% of the casualties. All of information this is available on the internet.
Attilathehungry
...and the usual buzzwords come to the surface- "genocide", "I don't support what Hamas did, but...." It is all Hamas propaganda. There is no genocide. The Israelis in fact are being remarkably restrained in their use of force compared to their capabilities. They even WARN civilians before they attack. Gee, wonder if Hamas would ever do that?
Gaza was not occupied. The last Jew left in 2005, and soon after Hamas was elected. Even now, more than 3/4 of Gazans support the barbarism of October 7. So tell me, who is innocent?
Israel is doing God's work by eliminating Hamas. Truth be told, most countries in the area secretly are cheering for the IDF- they don't want Hamas in THEIR countries either. They also don't want Gazan refugees- they have a poor track record of being good guests. So the best thing all around is for Israel to wipe out Hamas, then we can start to deprogram the Gazan people from their insane anti-Jew ideology. It will take a generation to wean them from their hatred, but it can be done. It worked in Germany post-WW2, and it can work in Gaza too.
wallace
It turns out Netanyahu and his government knew about the planned Hemas attack for one year.
u_s__reamer
...there is absolutely no comparison or correlation between what Israel is doing and what the Nazis use...
Really? Are you serious?
The Gaza Ghetto has now replaced the Warsaw Ghetto as a symbol of barbarism. I know which I would choose if I were thinking to escape the ferocity of my enemy.
GillislowTier
I’m constantly surprised people are “aghast” at Israel. It’s war, war around the world is covered daily from various places but this is the shocking one for some reason? I wonder what they thought war was? Why is this one the shocking one? Welcome to what people in all those places in Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe, that you ignore daily are going through.
Chabbawanga
Because our home countries are literally gifting Israel the weapons to commit genocide.
Antiquesaving
As compared to what? Israel's regular "preemptive" strikes in Lebanon, Syria Gaza, the West Bank often on UN or UNRWA Facilities and locations!
Tell me what is the difference, Hamas goes into Israel takes hostages or Israel raiding Gaza and the West Bank taking Palestinians and holding them for months, even years without charges, trial, lawyer, etc.. one is a defacto terrorist group the other is state sponsored terrorism.
Hamas took a few hundred hostages kill around 1500 people.
Since 2009 Israel has killed well over 6000 Palestinian civilians only counting Gaza and the west bank! Not counting the attacks on refugees camps and UNRWA Facilities in Lebanon!
Before October 7th Israel was holding nearly 5,000 Palestinians without any changes the majority from the west bank, these include school teachers, journalist, University professors, doctors, even the lawyers trying to find out the status of those Israel has kidnapped under their apartheid racist system!
Chabbawanga
And Russia have been pretty restrained in their use force too, being a nuclear power and all. Doesnt justify what they have done.
Antiquesaving
Actually it is a very accurate description of Netanyahu and his followers.
They believe in racial purity and an a jewish state and in living space for the Jewish people. This does not apply to the Jewish people in general or even Israelis in general, but it does apply to Netanyahu and his government.
But here's a better question. Why is it that a jewish state or a home for the Jews from Europe had to be in the lands of people that were not responsible or involved in the Holocaust?
Why wasn't a portion of Europe used East Prussia which is now an occupied and part of Russia? The Germans are the one who did the the deed so why not take some of their land?
Instead they attack and occupy land of people that were not involved. This is a major question that needs an answer!
bass4funk
This is the result for voting for a terrorist organization such as Hamas, they should be wiped out.
Fredrik
By what authority can Israel order civilians of another nation to go into exodus?
bass4funk
I disagree.
You have a lot of Black Jews to let you know.
Proof? Hard concrete evidence where this was said?
Because it was theirs to begin with.
Because that is not where the Jewish people were from.
The answer is there if you want to keep an open mind.
Attilathehungry
Antique: the area of Israel was chosen because it has been the home of Jews for centuries. You know, this month on the 25th we are celebrating a famous Jewish man, who was born in that area- gives you an idea of how long the Jews have been there. The idea of a Jewish state on traditional Jewish land predates WW2, so your farcical suggestion of a Jewish homeland in Europe is, well, puzzling.
The attempt to make this a racial issue is at the core of the intellectual dishonesty of the left. They see the conflict as a settler/colonialist narrative. Which of course is utter nonsense. Jews are not white, they are a rainbow of races. Including hundreds of thousands who were driven from their homes across Africa and the Middle East. Israel is the only country which has any semblance of human rights and dignity, particularly for minority groups like LGBT and women. Try being gay in Gaza- you would be lucky to last a day before being thrown off a tall building.
In any case, that holy of holies, the United Nations, ruled in 1948 that two states were to be created- one Jewish and one Muslim. That was rejected by the Palestinians and their allies in the Arab League, and a war of actual genocide was started against Israel literally the day after the UN ruling. They were utterly defeated, and the roots of the current conflict were planted.
Antiquesaving
It would be if we ignored everything else like the slow displacement of Palestinians in the west bank, the killing of Palestinians by settlers and IDF in the west bank, the detention of thousands of Palestinians kidnapped from the west bank, held without charges, access to lawyers without trial, etc..
If we ignored the fact the peace accords between the PA and Israel said no new settlements and now 700,000 settlers.
The Oslo agreement said natural growth, but since 2012 the number of settlements has gone from 114 where it was supposed to remain to now over 279 with the IDF providing the protection, arms and logistics to build more.
This is the result of trusting Israel.
Israel never had any intention of peace and the PA was tricked Hamas saw it all coming and wasn't going to be lambs to the slaughter!
As many here have pointed out in other articles, saying they would rather go doing fighting, it seems Hamas have the same view, they know they will eventually be exterminated, that is netanyahu's plans so they probably figure " might as well go down fighting".
Chabbawanga
When have I ever made such a comment?
Chabbawanga
They arent welcome in Israel though. Look it up.
John-San
A native Australian ( Aboriginal ) come to my house and said get out this is house it is mine now and my land or I start killing you and your children and any others who try to stop me. So we were force out. I call it Occupying my house. So do the occupiers have the Right to the defend themselves ????
bass4funk
At 12:21
Antiquesaving
You mean the land they took during the genocide of the real inhabitants the Canaanites!
Remember Jericho and the order to kill every man, woman, child and beast spare none!
You mean that land?
Recent DNA shows that 3000-year-old Canaanites and present-day Palestinians and Lebanese are related which means the land was there's first if you really want to go there?
So your argument is that 2000 years ago it was their land. So therefore, you must agree that Crimea is Russian because until the Soviet Union transferred it to Ukraine. It was Russian and that was only less in the 1950s.
You would have to also agree that Kosovo is Serbian because that is the birthplace of the Serbian Church and the Serbian country.
It's funny how you can justify Jews from Europe going and taking Palestinian land. But when we say the same thing about something far more recent than 2,000 years ago, you say no!
Antiquesaving
The left?
You mean the right wing? You mean Netanyahu and his kind of right-wing racists group. He himself has made it that he has often given speeches saying that Israel has to be cleansed. Israel has to be a Jewish state for the Jews. Don't tell me Netanyahu is left!
Antiquesaving
And why should the Palestinians and the Arabs have settled for outsiders coming in and taking their land?
Isn't that the argument constantly given about Ukraine and Russia? Why should Ukraine negotiate and let Russia take part of its land?
Two-faced system here Russia does it no bad pressure? Israel does it? Oh yeah no problem. The Bible says they can have it!
Hypocrisy 101
bass4funk
So you’re saying that rights of terrorists and their collaborators are equal to every other citizen?
It wouldn’t matter how much land Israel would give and has given, the radicals always, always want more and more. So I would say, there is no reason to negotiate or offer anything particularly land in exchange for peace because the majority of Palestinians would never accept living next to a Jewish state.
Yes.
This is the result of trusting Israel.
So now you’re giving Hamas a pass?
That’s what everyone is saying in Israel.
“Never again.”
So be it.
Chabbawanga
@Bass
My comment
Literally opposed to genocide
bass4funk
The. We are in agreement, I just want for Hamas to be permanently retired.
Antiquesaving
What citizens?
You seem to forget Palestinians have no county, they are not citizens, Israel will not permit it.
Only Israelis have rights, not Palestinians they are randomly detained without charges and have no legal protection.
bass4funk
Seriously?!
Neither the other Arab countries that curse them, but support them when they attack Jews and their Jewish nation
So you’re saying the kidnapping, rape and murdering of children, beheading Israelis is the answer then? Really?
Attilathehungry
Antique, thank you for admitting that Jews have been there for centuries. Kind of puts paid to your ridiculous idea of settling them in Prussia, doesn't it?
As well as the "taking their land" narrative. The Arabs made their case to the UN in 1948. They lost. Instead of trying to solve their issues peacefully, they embarked on a war of genocide. One that continues to this day with Hamas. Do you think that, given the chance, Hamas would kill every Jew in Israel? Even now, in the midst of the current conflict, Hams continues to fire rockets at Israeli civilians. They are butchers, fortunately their butchery is limited by their lack of sophistication.