Hamas-Israel conflict: No signs of cooling down at the beginning of the new year

Just as the world entered the New Year 2024, several rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip towards Tel Aviv and southern Israel.

Devastation after Israel attacked Bureij refugee camp in Gaza City on November 2, 2023

The attack on southern Israel occurred at midnight (local time) on January 1, and another one on Tel Aviv occurred one minute later. Air raid sirens sounded and Israel's missile defense system intercepted the rockets. Many people gathered on the streets to celebrate the New Year were forced to take shelter. The Israeli military also confirmed the incident.

In a video posted on social media, the Hamas movement claimed to have carried out both attacks using M90 rockets in response to the Israeli attack.

A day earlier, Israel continued to launch airstrikes on Gaza as the two sides neared the end of a “dark” year due to escalating conflict.

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said the number of Palestinians killed in conflicts in 2023 was higher than in any year since 1948. Specifically, 22,404 Palestinians were killed in 2023, including 22,141 since the Hamas-Israel conflict broke out on October 7. PCBS recorded that 98% of the total Palestinian deaths were in Gaza, including nearly 9,000 children and 6,450 women. In addition, 319 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the conflict began.

According to figures from Israel, the country has recorded about 1,140 deaths, mostly civilians, since October 7.

At a press conference on December 30, 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed that the war would continue for many months and demanded that Hamas release the remaining hostages.

In his 2024 New Year's message, Israeli President Isaac Herzog also called on the international community and world leaders to join efforts to immediately release the hostages kidnapped by Hamas in the attack on October 7.

President Herzog's message highlighted the various groups of hostages including "babies, elderly people, women and men" being held by Hamas. The Israeli leader referred to the poor conditions the hostages are facing, including lack of regular access to medicine and no Red Cross visits.

The message was conveyed in languages including Hebrew, English, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, French, Italian, Hindi, German and Portuguese.

VNA

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