- Gaza conflict persists in 2024
- IDF adjusts for prolonged fighting
- Civilian casualties rise, tensions escalate
According to the Israeli military, the Gaza conflict is expected to continue throughout 2024.
The spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) stated in a New Year’s message that troop deployments were being adjusted in anticipation of “prolonged fighting.”
Certain personnel, especially reservists, will be withdrawn, according to Daniel Hagari, so that they can regroup.
He stated that these modifications are intended to facilitate preparations and strategizing for the continuation of the conflict in 2024.
Anticipating additional missions and the persistence of hostilities for the remainder of the year, the IDF must engage in advance preparation.
Certain reservists, he said, would evacuate Gaza “as early as this week” to “re-energize in preparation for the upcoming operations.”
Since October 7, around 21,978 people have been killed in Gaza, the majority of whom are women and children, according to the health ministry operated by Hamas. The latest report indicated that 56,697 individuals were injured in Gaza during the same period.
The ministry added that the figures included 156 fatalities and 246 injuries in the previous twenty-four hours.
On October 7, Hamas militants launched an unprecedented cross-border assault on southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people (mostly civilians) and the capture of approximately 240 others.
Israel continued its barrage against Gaza until the conclusion of a sombre year in the region.
Intensifying Conflict in Gaza
Adil Mismah, a senior Hamas commander implicated in the October 7 attack, was reportedly eliminated by the IDF during an overnight operation in the municipality of Deir al-Balah.
The Gaza health ministry reported at least 48 fatalities in Gaza City due to nocturnal bombings. Eyewitnesses told AFP that twenty people seeking safety at Al-Aqsa University in the west were killed in another assault.
On Monday morning, another assault reportedly claimed the lives of at least ten individuals in the al-Maghazi refugee camp.
A resident of northern Gaza who was displaced to the enclave’s southern region drew attention to the stark contrast between global New Year’s celebrations and the dire situation in Gaza.
“Joyful laughter will fill the air as firecrackers illuminate the night sky in countries around the world,” Zainab Khalil, 57, told Reuters on Sunday.
The skies above Gaza are currently crowded with Israeli tank projectiles and missiles directed at homeless, defenseless civilians.
According to the United Nations, 85 percent of Gaza’s 2.4 million inhabitants, or nearly two million, are currently displaced.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel declared “the war has reached its pinnacle” on Saturday.
“We are fighting on all fronts,” he reiterated. “We experience both tremendous success and difficult cases.” The acquisition of victory will demand a substantial investment of labour.
As stated by the chief of staff of the army, the conflict will persist for several more months.
Israeli Minister Calls for Palestinian Eviction from Gaza Amid Escalating Conflict
Bezalel Smotrich, the far-right Israeli finance minister, asked that Palestinians leave Gaza to “bloom the desert.”
The official position of the Israeli government is that Gazans will be able to return to their residences in due course. However, the manner and timing of this return have not been specified.
As Israel greeted the new year, air raid sirens were activated in southern Israel and Tel Aviv, and AFP reported that Israeli missile defence systems intercepted rockets fired from Gaza.
A Tel Aviv resident enjoying the new year said, “I was horrified, as if I had never seen missiles before. “It is absolutely terrifying.”
Hamas’ armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, claimed both attacks in a social media video.
They also claimed that the utilization of M90 missiles was “a reaction to the civilian massacres” carried out by Israel.
