by AFP
Israel begins the new year under a rocket barrage as the Gaza army pounds
The war in Gaza began in the new year on Monday, with Hamas firing a barrage of rockets at Israel just as the clock struck midnight and two dozen people were killed overnight in Israeli strikes on the Palestinian territory. 2024 began, and AFP journalists in Tel Aviv saw missile defense systems intercepting rockets overhead, with some performers on the streets below rushing for cover while others kept the party going with a shrug.” We were all afraid in the corners… my heart was punting,” said Gabriel Zemelman, 26, in front of a bar after the rocket fire. , claimed responsibility for the attack in a video published on social media, saying that they had fired M90 rockets in “response to the massacres of civilians” that Israel did. The Israeli army confirmed the attack, without reporting at first any casualty or damage.Surrounded by a party, said the server Ran Stahl , 24, was not in the mood to celebrate, not because one of his friends was killed in a Hamas attack on the Supernova music festival.” The moment I start dancing, I feel guilty — the sadness and the crying come back,” he said.In Gaza, Israeli strikes killed at least 24 people overnight, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. , and attacks were reported across the territory. The nearly three-month war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’ bloody October 7 attacks on Israel, which killed around 1,140 people, most of them civilians, according to AFP tallies based on official figures. .Fighters also took about 250 people hostage that day, most of them still in Gaza, according to Israeli officials. Israel vowed to destroy Hamas in response, launching punitive attacks in the Gaza Strip that reduced large areas to wasteland and killed at least 21,822 people, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s health ministry. The army says 172 of its soldiers were killed inside Gaza, and there is no sign of war . Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Saturday that the fighting would last “many months until Hamas is eliminated and the hostages are returned”. live like animals’ -In the besieged Gaza Strip, where the UN says 85 percent of the population has been displaced, 20-year-old Hamdan Abu Arab said he hoped “2024 will be better.” Some time ago, I was talking with my friends, and we remembered how… we used to go out and enjoy our time on the last day of the year. But this New Year’s Eve, there are only missiles and the remains of people,” he said. Since Israel imposed a siege at the beginning of the war, Gazans are facing severe shortages of food, fuel, water and medicine. Guterres criticized ” “epic human suffering” and “collective punishment” of Palestinian civilians, and the WHO has warned of the risk of infectious diseases.” We are exhausted… Bassam Hana, year old.” Hopefully things will improve in 2024 and we live just like everyone else. Right now, we live like animals.” At least 48 Palestinians were killed in strikes on Gaza City over the weekend, the territory’s health ministry said, with many still buried under the rubble. the scene of the strike and saw martyrs everywhere,” said one resident after meeting a building. The militants were killed and buried “during the battles of Khan Yunis” earlier in the day. There are thousands of aircraft in the skies of Gaza at any given time,” he said.- Regional fears – International mediators are continuing their efforts towards a new break in the fighting. A Hamas delegation from Qatar visited Cairo on Friday to discuss three Egyptian steps. plan proposing renewable cease-fires, the gradual release of hostages for Palestinian prisoners, and ultimately an end to the war, sources close to Hamas said. Their Islamic Jihad ally said on Saturday that the Palestinian factions were “in ” to consider the proposal and that there would be a response “within days”. The war in Gaza is feared in relation to a wider regional conflict, with the escalation of hostilities and mostly Iranian-backed militant groups in countries in nearby says they are acting in support of Hamas. The Israeli army announced on Sunday night after the interception of two “hostile aircraft” sent from Syria towards the north of Israel. Earlier he reported launches towards Israeli territory originating in Lebanon. “During the day, IDF (military) tanks and helicopters targeted three terrorist squads operating in Lebanon,” the army said in a statement. And in the Red Sea, the US military said Sunday that Navy helicopters shot down Iranian-backed Huthi rebel boats off Yemen that were attacking a cargo ship, and Yemeni sources reported 10 rebels killed.bur-smw/dva
