The displaced Palestinians are exhausted, as the never-ending war enters its 13th week. As international mediation continues, Gazans hope to see an end to this war, by the new year.
Fighting raged on Saturday in the Gaza Strip, where displaced Palestinians found themselves “exhausted” by the relentless Israeli army offensive against Hamas in the besieged territory. As the war entered its 13th week, there was still no apparent end in sight.
Smoke rose over Khan Younes, the main town in the south of the Gaza Strip, which was targeted by artillery fire overnight, according to an AFP correspondent.
Further south, in the border town of Rafah, close to Egypt, many Gazans sought shelter from the relentless bombardment by the Israeli army, which is hunting down Hamas fighters.
The war, triggered on October 7 by an unprecedented attack on Israeli soil from the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian Islamist movement, shows no indications of subsiding. Despite the daily increase in civilian casualties and international appeals for a ceasefire, the war persists.
Human toll
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, more than 21,672 people, mostly women, teenagers and children, have been killed since the start of the war.
In Israel, the October 7 attack resulted in approximately 1,140 casualties, predominantly civilians. Moreover, 129 Israeli hostages are still held in Gaza, and since the initiation of the ground offensive on October 27, 167 soldiers have lost their lives.
The Israeli army is engaged in “fierce fighting”
On the 85th day of the conflict, the Israeli army stated that military operations continue in various parts of the Gaza Strip: “Troops are engaged in fierce fighting(…), targeting terrorist cells and infrastructure, with naval support from the Israeli navy.”
In Beit Lahia, a town in the north of the Gaza Strip, “two Hamas military compounds were dismantled by soldiers,” and dozens of “terrorists” were killed in Gaza City, according to the statement.
Displaced Gazans “totally exhausted”
“The war has taken its toll! We’re completely drained!” exclaimed Oum Louay Abou Khater, a 49-year-old woman who evacuated her residence in Khan Younes and sought refuge in Rafah, located at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip.
“The year 2023 was the worst of my life. It brought destruction and devastation. We endured a tragedy that even our grandparents did not experience,” expressed Ahmed al-Baz, a 33-year-old resident.
“All we want is for the war to end and for the New Year to begin here with a ceasefire.”
The 2.4 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, 85% of whom have had to flee their homes, according to the UN, continue to face a dire humanitarian situation.
On Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his call for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”, while the World Health Organization (WHO) cautioned about the escalating risk of infectious diseases spreading among the population in Gaza.
International mediation
International mediators, who negotiated a week-long truce in late November resulting in the release of over 100 hostages and limited aid entering Gaza, are persisting in their efforts to secure a renewed pause in the fighting.
According to the US media site Axios and the Israeli site Ynet, citing unnamed Israeli sources, mediators in Qatar conveyed to Israel that Hamas had “agreed in principle” to resume talks aiming for the release of over 40 hostages held in Gaza, potentially in exchange for a ceasefire.
Also, a delegation from Hamas, which arrived in Cairo on Friday to discuss an Egyptian peace plan, is expected to convey “the response of the Palestinian factions” to this plan. The initiative aims to eventually bring an end to hostilities, according to sources close to the Islamist movement.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured the families of the hostages on Thursday that Israel was “in contact” with Egyptian mediators regarding the situation.
US arms exports
The United States, a close ally of Israel, announced on Friday that it had “urgently” approved the sale of 155 mm shells and other equipment from its military stocks to Israel, at a cost of $147.5 million.
