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Israeli ground forces enter the depths of Gaza, free the soldier captured by Hamas

2023-10-31 08:02:49Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Israeli ground forces enter the depths of Gaza, free the soldier captured by
The war in Israel

Israeli ground forces pushed deeper into Gaza on Monday, advancing with tanks and armored vehicles toward the territory's main city and freeing a female soldier held prisoner by Hamas militants. The Israeli prime minister rejected calls for a ceasefire as airstrikes hit near hospitals where thousands of Palestinians have taken shelter along with the wounded.

The Israeli military said a female soldier captured during a brutal Hamas attack on October 7 was rescued in Gaza. This is the first rescue since the war began a week ago. Military officials did not provide many details, but announced in a statement that soldier Ori Megidish was fine and had been reunited with her family.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed him home, saying this achievement by Israeli security forces "testifies to our commitment to free all hostages."

Mr Netanyahu also rejected calls for a ceasefire, to facilitate the release of prisoners or to end the war, which he said would be long and difficult. "The calls for a ceasefire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas," he said at a press conference. "This will not happen."

Mr Netanyahu, who is facing growing anger over Israel's failure to prevent the country's worst surprise attack in half a century, also said he had no plans to back down.

Hamas and other militant groups are believed to be holding about 240 people hostage, men, women and children. Mr Netanyahu faces mounting pressure to secure their release, even as Israel moves to neutralize Hamas and end the group's 16-year rule over the territory.

Hamas, which has released four hostages, has said it will release others in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, including many who have been involved in deadly attacks on Israelis. Israel has rejected the offer, and Mr Netanyahu said the ground attack "creates the opportunity" to free the hostages, adding that Hamas would only release them under pressure.

Hamas released a short video on Monday that appears to show three more female prisoners. One of the women makes a short, apparently forced statement criticizing Israel's response to the hostage crisis.

It is not clear where the Hamas video was filmed. News agencies usually do not report details of hostage footage, because it shows individuals speaking under duress and is often used for propaganda purposes.

Amos Aloni, whose daughter Danielle appears in the video, told reporters that he and his wife were shocked to see her appear on television, but also felt "relieved that she is alive and that they saw her."

The Israeli military does not provide details of its operations inside Gaza, including the location and number of forces. Israel has announced a new phase of fighting, but has not declared a frontal ground offensive, while deploying tens of thousands of troops to the border.

Subsequent ground operations were launched north and east of Gaza City. Israel says many of Hamas' forces and most of the militant infrastructure, including hundreds of kilometers of tunnels, are in Gaza City, home to about 650,000 people before the war.

Although Israel ordered Palestinians to leave the north, where Gaza City is located, and move south, hundreds of thousands stayed, in part because Israel has bombed targets even in so-called safe zones. According to UN figures, some 117,000 displaced people hoping to escape airstrikes are staying in hospitals in northern Gaza, along with thousands of patients and medical staff.

The UN agency for Palestine refugees, known as UNRWA, says some 672,000 Palestinians have taken shelter in its schools and other facilities across Gaza, which have reached four times their capacity.

The head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, accused Israel of "collective punishment" of Palestinians and of forcibly moving them from northern Gaza to the south, where they are still not safe.

The death toll among Palestinians reached 8,300, mostly women and children, the Health Ministry in Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas, which the United States considers a terrorist organization, announced on Monday. The figure is unprecedented in decades of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Over 1.4 million people in Gaza have been displaced from their homes.

Over 1,400 people have died on the Israeli side, mostly civilians killed during the initial Hamas attack, also an unprecedented number./VOA


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