This Saturday, Israel reached a new phase of the war against Hamas with the entry of Israeli ground forces into Gaza and an intensification of bombings on the Strip.. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant described it with these words: “The ground in Gaza shook. We attack above and below the ground, we attack terrorist agents of all ranks, in all places. The orders to the forces are clear: the operation will continue until a new order,” he warned.

According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this is the beginning of a “second phase”, which aims to “destroy the military and government capacity of Hamas and return the hostages to their homes,” he stressed. in an official appearance from Tel Aviv.

For the Israeli president, “the war within the Gaza Strip will be hard and long, but we are prepared. This is our second war of liberation. We will fight to protect the country. And we will do it by land, sea and air. “We will eliminate the enemy above and below the ground,” he said, referring to Hamas.. “This is the mission of my life… in your name and in the name of all,” he added.

As Gaza continues to suffer its worst bombing in three weeks, the situation has reached, in the words of the UN, “a new level of violence and pain” following the interruption of internet and other telecommunications as a result of the intensification of attacks, which has further isolated the civilian population.

“Civilians cannot receive updated information on where to access humanitarian aid,” or which are the most and least dangerous places in the Strip, has warned the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk.. Likewise, journalists inside Gaza are also unable to report on the situation in that Palestinian territory, while contact with UN workers and other NGOs on the ground has also been lost.

Similarly, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, has called for an urgent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to facilitate the arrival of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, where the situation is “desperate” while still “under a complete blackout”. “Too many civilians, including children, have been killed. This contravenes International Humanitarian Law,” Borrell asserted.

For now, Israel has ignored calls for a ceasefire and has continued to warn Gazans to move south of the enclave.. “To the people of northern Gaza and Gaza City: time is running out. Go south for your own safety. This is not a simple precautionary measure; “It is an urgent warning for the safety of civilians,” warned Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari in a message posted on Twitter.

Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed himself in a similar way in his televised appearance: “Again, I tell the civil society of Gaza to evacuate to the south,” said the Prime Minister of Israel, pointing out that Hamas “commits war crimes because they use people as human shields and hospitals as headquarters and fuel depots.

The hostages kidnapped by Hamas are another open front for Netanyahu, who this Saturday also met with his relatives after they had been demanding negotiations for days to bring back their loved ones. According to the Israeli Army, Hamas has in its possession 229 hostages that it kidnapped during the attack on October 7 against Israel.. This Saturday, the Islamist group has requested the release of all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails in exchange for the release of those kidnapped.

“My heart hurts when I meet with the families of the hostages. I have assured them that we would exhaust all avenues to get their loved ones back home.. Their situation is a crime against humanity,” he stressed.

However, Netanyahu has not taken any responsibility for the Hamas attacks of October 7.. “When the war is over we will answer all questions. There has been terrible negligence. There will be no stone left on stone. Now my mission is to save the country,” he concluded.