Israel has begun a ânew phaseâ in its war against Hamas
Image: Israel Defense Forces/NYT
On Friday, Israelâs military launched large-scale air strikes targeting the Gaza Strip and expanded its ground operations in the region, as the ongoing war with Hamas officially entered its fourth week.
đ€ Whatâs going on?... In a nationally televised address Saturday evening, PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has entered a "new phase" in the war and is preparing for a full ground invasion of Gaza in the coming days or weeks.
- Israel previously ordered ~1 million Palestinians in northern Gaza to evacuate to the south more than two weeks ago, and at least 700,000 have already done so, per the latest UN figures.
- Many Palestinians who remain in northern Gaza say their decision was influenced by poor conditions in the south, including overcrowded shelters, shortages of essential supplies, and ongoing Israeli airstrikes targeting the area.
đ„ Other recent developments: Israel initially imposed a blackout on all cell phone and internet services within Gaza on Friday, but reversed course and started to resume services yesterday â a move which reportedly came in response to pushback from US officials.
Thousands of Palestinians broke into four UN food depots in Gaza yesterday morning, grabbing wheat flour and other essential items in a sign they had reached "breaking point", UN officials said. Despite ongoing shortages for many Gazan residents, Hamas is relatively unaffected due to a large stockpile of supplies the org has spent years amassing, per officials from Israel and several Western and Arab nations.
- Gazaâs health ministry says more than 8,000 Palestinans (mostly women and children) have been killed since the latest conflict began on October 7. The Hamas-run agency began publishing the names, ages, genders, and ID numbers of the deceased last Thursday, after President Biden said he had âno confidenceâ in its death toll figures.
- Over 1,400 people have died on the Israeli side, mainly civilians killed during Hamasâ initial attack.
đ Flash poll: We asked for your initial reactions to the Israel-Hamas conflict two weeks ago (you can read them here and here). However, if you feel compelled to share more thoughts on the unfolding situation, you can do so below.
See a 360° view of what media pundits are saying â
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that Israelâs government faced terrible choices after the worst slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust, but leaders should have opted for a much more targeted, fully thought-through response than what is currently occurring.
- Others contend that the international community is presented with a terrible dilemma: how are the Hamas killers to be captured or eliminated without causing the deaths of many more innocent Palestinian civilians? And how may greater suffering and destruction be prevented without allowing the terrorists to evade retribution and justice?
- âPlease, Israel, Donât Get Lost in Hamasâs Tunnelsâ âThomas L. Friedman, NY Times
- âStricken Gazans need a respite from the bombsâ âThe Observer Editorial Board
- âSilencing anti-Israel student speech is wrongâ âSouth Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Board
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that those who label Israel as colonizers ignore a long history in which predominantly Muslim nations took Jerusalem from the Byzantines in the early 7th century â and that all of human history is a story of never-ending layers of conquest, defeat, migration, and exile.
- Others contend that Israel should continue to play things straight on a global stage, since if they do, it will be understood in time that Israelâs communications apparatus is the only one that can be trusted in the ongoing conflict.
- âWhy Arenât the Arabs the âColonizersâ?â âRich Lowry, National Review
- âIsrael Tries to Part the Fog of Warâ âPeggy Noonan, WSJ
- âIsrael Should Not Tolerate Terrorists on Its Borderâ âSen. John Thune (R-SD)
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