Israeli forces have dropped leaflets within the southern Gaza Strip, asking residents to offer details about the captives taken by Hamas on October 7, as bombardment of the besieged enclave continues.
The leaflets dropped on Saturday, confirmed the photographs of dozens of captives nonetheless in Gaza, along with a message suggesting there could be advantages for anybody offering info to Israel.
“You need to return house? Please report in case you recognized certainly one of them,” learn the message, which additionally listed a telephone quantity and a hyperlink to a web site containing photos and names of the captives in Arabic.
“They’re asking folks’s assist as a result of they’re unable to get to their hostages due to the resistance,” stated Abu Ali, one north Gaza resident. “Finish the conflict, Netanyahu, and get your folks again,” he informed the Reuters information company.
Israeli military has dropped leaflets that state they’ve conditioned the compelled displacement of Palestinian residents (conflict crime) on the return of the hostages. So, though their abduction had nothing to do with them Palestinian residents are being collectively punished (conflict crime). https://t.co/PC9eqWToFV
— Naks Bilal (@NaksBilal) January 20, 2024
The captives had been taken throughout Hamas’s October 7 assault on southern Israel by which greater than 1,100 folks had been killed. Israel has since relentlessly bombarded Gaza, killing greater than 24,900 Palestinians, largely girls and kids.
Greater than 100 of the captives had been freed throughout a short-lived November truce between Israel and Hamas. Israel says 132 stay in Gaza and 27 have died in captivity.
‘Captives matter’
On Saturday within the Israeli capital, dozens of family members of the captives rallied outdoors the non-public residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding he attain a take care of Hamas to make sure their launch.
The protesters plan to spend the night time in tents outdoors Netanyahu’s home within the coastal city of Caesarea – some 60km (37 miles) north of Tel Aviv – to protest in opposition to his lack of progress.
“The protesters stated that they needed Netanyahu to step out and converse to them,” stated Al Jazeera’s Laura Khan, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem.
“One individual, whose brother is in captivity and whose mom was launched within the final deal, stated Netanyahu regarded her within the eyes and stated the captives matter. She believes he’s mendacity. She stated there was blood on his palms,” she added.
Individuals standing outdoors Netanyahu’s house held up posters studying, “We would like a deal now”, Khan famous.
On Friday, Israeli conflict cupboard minister and former army chief Gadi Eizenkot stated a deal will likely be wanted to make sure captives nonetheless held within the Gaza Strip are launched alive, including {that a} lightning raid could be extraordinarily unlikely to succeed.
Nonetheless, Netanyahu has stated he’ll push for “full victory” in opposition to Hamas however has not outlined how he would obtain it.
In the meantime, in Israel’s third-largest metropolis, Haifa, an anti-war protest came about on Saturday with Israeli Jews and Palestinian residents of Israel coming collectively to name for an finish to the combating in Gaza.
“The message right here is to finish the conflict and that [the Israelis] can solely reside peacefully, aspect by aspect, with a political answer for the Palestinians,” stated Al Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker, reporting from the protest, which Israeli officers solely allowed to happen for 2 hours.
No finish in sight
In Gaza, assaults confirmed no indicators of stopping because the well being ministry stated Israeli assaults killed 165 folks and wounded 280 others previously 24 hours.
“There hasn’t been any let-up within the intense bombing throughout the Gaza Strip and it appears prefer it’s all began once more within the north the place extra residential buildings have been focused,” stated Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Rafah.
“There seems to be a surge within the depth and scale of the bombings, with the remaining buildings within the neighborhood of al-Shifa Hospital and the western a part of Gaza Metropolis and Jabalia and Beit Lahiya being hit.”
The neighborhood of Nasser hospital within the southern metropolis of Khan Younis additionally got here below heavy bombardment, Mahmoud famous. The ability is without doubt one of the few partially functioning hospitals in Gaza.
In additional than 100 days of conflict, Israel’s air, land and sea offensive has devastated a lot of Gaza, displacing many of the 2.3 million inhabitants, many compelled to maneuver repeatedly and search refuge in tents that do little to guard them from the weather and illness, in response to the United Nations.
