According to its own statements, the Israeli army has initiated the expected new major offensive in the Gaza Strip. The military announced that at night. Over the past day, the army had started to “carry out extensive attacks and mobilize troops in order to obtain operational control in areas of the Gaza Strip”. The now ongoing military operation under the name “Gideon’s Chariot” is the start of “achieving the war goals” – including the release of hostages and the destruction of the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas. The Israeli news page “Ynet” reported on the night on sources in the Gaza Strip of new violent explosions in the north of the sealed coastal area. To the east of the city of Gaza there are reports on artillery shot through the Israeli army, it said. Accordingly, residential buildings are bombarded. The Israeli government had recently announced that they wanted to expand military use in the Gaza Strip. Israeli media had reported that this should happen after the end of the Middle East trip by US President Donald Trump if no new Gaza agreement should be achieved until then. Trump has now ended his visit to the Golf region lasting several days. A new deal for Gaza is still not in sight. According to the health authority in Gaza controlled by the Hamas, around 100 people recently died in attacks by the Israeli army. The information that did not distinguish between fighters and civilians could initially not be checked independently. The Israeli news page “Ynet”, citing security officers, reported that the attacks were prepared for the invasion of further troops. The head of the UN human rights office condemned Israel’s new offensive with drastic words. “It looks like an advance for a permanent population shift in Gaza, which disregarded international law and is equivalent to ethnic cleansing,” said Hochkommissar Volker Türk in Geneva. The bombings would have led to further displacements.
