May 26th 2024.
On Sunday, Hamas launched a barrage of rockets from Gaza, triggering air raid sirens in Tel Aviv for the first time in months. This display of strength comes more than seven months into Israel's ongoing offensive, involving air, sea, and ground forces. Luckily, there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the attack. This is the first long-range rocket strike from Gaza since January, although there have been sporadic rocket and mortar attacks along the Gaza border since then.
Hamas' military wing has claimed responsibility for the attack, with the sounds of rocket launches heard in central Gaza. The Israeli military stated that eight projectiles crossed into Israel after being launched from Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where Israeli forces recently launched an incursion. They also reported that some of the projectiles were intercepted. This attack comes after aid trucks entered Gaza from southern Israel through a new agreement, allowing them to bypass the Rafah crossing with Egypt. However, it is uncertain whether humanitarian groups will be able to access the aid due to ongoing fighting in the area.
Egypt has refused to reopen their side of the Rafah crossing until control of the Gaza side is returned to Palestinians. As a temporary solution, they have agreed to divert traffic through Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing, the main cargo terminal in Gaza. This decision was made after a call between US President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. However, the Kerem Shalom crossing has been mostly inaccessible due to the fighting in nearby Rafah. The Israeli government claims to have allowed hundreds of trucks to enter, but the United Nations agencies say it is too dangerous to retrieve the aid on the other side.
The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has been ongoing for eight months and has resulted in the deaths of approximately 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. This number includes both civilians and fighters. Around 80% of the population, which amounts to 2.3 million people, have fled their homes due to the conflict. Severe hunger is widespread, and UN officials have reported signs of famine in certain parts of the territory.
The war was triggered by Hamas' attack into Israel on October 7th, in which they killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 hostages. While most of the hostages were released during a ceasefire last year, Hamas is still holding approximately 100 hostages and the remains of around 30 others. Southern Gaza has been cut off from aid since Israel's limited incursion into Rafah on May 6th. As a result, over 1 million Palestinians have been forced to flee the city, with many having already been displaced from other parts of the besieged territory. Although aid is still being delivered to northern Gaza through two land routes, the territory requires a total of 600 trucks a day to meet the immense humanitarian needs.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israel must take control of Rafah to eliminate Hamas' last remaining battalions and achieve their goal of "total victory" over the militants. Netanyahu is facing increasing pressure from the Israeli public to make a deal with Hamas and secure the release of the remaining hostages. However, Hamas has refused to release them without guarantees for an end to the war and a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops, something that Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have rejected.
Protests have broken out in Tel Aviv, with thousands of people demanding the return of the hostages and calling for Netanyahu's resignation. The international pressure on Israel is also growing, with three European countries announcing their recognition of a Palestinian state. Additionally, the chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court has requested arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, along with three Hamas leaders. The International Court of Justice has also ordered Israel to end their military offensive in Rafah and allow war crimes investigators access to Gaza.
However, it is unlikely that Israel will comply with these orders, and they have strongly condemned the ICC's move towards arrest warrants for their leaders. Israel asserts that they make every effort to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because they operate in densely populated residential areas. In a separate development, Hamas claimed to have captured an Israeli soldier during fighting in northern Gaza and released a video showing a wounded man being dragged through a tunnel. The Israeli military denies that any of their soldiers have been captured, and Hamas has not provided any other evidence to support their claim.
The Israeli military also announced that they had detained a suspect in a widely circulated video where a man dressed as an Israeli soldier calls for mutiny. In the video, the man voices his support for Palestinians governing Gaza after the war and pledges his loyalty to Netanyahu. It is unclear when or where the video was made, and whether the man is currently serving in the military. Yair Netanyahu, the prime minister's son, had shared the video on social media, sparking criticism from political opponents. In response, the prime minister's office released a statement condemning all forms of military subordination.
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