MIAMI.- The army of Israel indicated on Sunday that it had completed major combat operations in northern Gaza and finished dismantling the military infrastructure of Hamas in the area, when the war against the armed group was three months old.
The military did not mention future troop deployments to northern Gaza. His spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Saturday night that forces would continue to “build on what has been achieved” there, reinforce defenses along the fence between Israel and Gaza and focus on the central and southern areas of the territory. .
The announcement was made before the visit to Israel of the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. Members of Joe Biden’s administration, including Blinken, have reiterated to Israel to reduce its harsh air and ground campaign in Gaza and move to more targeted strikes against Hamas leaders to prevent harm to Palestinian civilians.
Israel reduces operations
In recent weeks, Israel had already been reducing its military operation in northern Gaza and intensifying its advance on the south of the territory, where the majority of the 2.3 million Palestinians who live in Gaza are imprisoned in areas increasingly smaller ones in a humanitarian catastrophe under Israeli bombardments.
The war began with the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, in which the militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and captured about 250 people.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted again Sunday that the war will not end until the goals of eliminating Hamas, recovering Israeli hostages and ensuring that Gaza will not be a threat to Israel are achieved.
“I say this to both our enemies and our friend,” he told the government. “This is our responsibility and it is the obligation of all of us.”
Israeli retaliation by air, land and sea has killed more than 22,700 Palestinians and injured more than 58,000, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, a territory controlled by Hamas. The death toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Health authorities say about two-thirds of the dead were women and children. Israel blames Hamas for the many civilian casualties because the group operates in populated residential neighborhoods.
Attempt to prevent the Gaza war from spreading
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Jordan’s king and foreign minister on Sunday and visited a World Food Program warehouse in Amman, continuing his efforts to prevent war from entering Israel y Hamas turns into a broader conflagration.
On his fourth trip to the Middle East in three months, Blinken emphasized the need for Israel to adjust its military operations to minimize civilian casualties and increase the flow of humanitarian aid to Gazaand emphasized the importance of preparing detailed plans for the future of the post-conflict territory.
The day after having talks with the leaders of Turkey and Greece in Istanbul and Crete, Blinken met on Sunday with King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi of Jordan, in order to gain support for US efforts to prevent the conflict grows, increase the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and prepare for the eventual end of hostilities.
The Jordanian king “warned of the catastrophic repercussions” of the war in Gaza and called on the United States to call for an immediate ceasefire, a statement from the Jordanian palace said.
Jordan and other Arab countries have criticized Israel’s actions and have not supported a long-term plan, arguing that hostilities must first cease. They have been demanding a ceasefire since mid-October, when civilian casualties began to rise. Israel has rejected a ceasefire, arguing that the Palestinian group Hamas will only take advantage of it to rearm, and the United States has instead called for shorter “humanitarian pauses” so that aid can enter Gaza.
Blinken visited a World Food Program warehouse in the Jordanian capital, where trucks full of supplies will leave to enter Gaza through the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings.
Blinken praised the work of the WFP and other UN agencies, as well as the Jordanian government, for getting aid to Gaza.
“Efforts here to collect and distribute food to people in need are absolutely essential,” Blinken declared. “The United States has been working since day one to open access routes to Gaza.”
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement that Blinken and the Jordanian king agreed to continue coordinating to deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
The United States has been pressuring Israel for weeks to allow more food, water, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza, and the UN Security Council passed a resolution on December 22 calling for an immediate increase in shipments. Three weeks ago, Israel opened the Kerem Shalom crossing, adding another entry point to Gaza aside from Rafah.
Source: AP
