“Blow against their abilities”
Israel counts “10,000 Hamas terrorists killed”
February 2, 2024, 8:30 a.m
The Israeli army is expanding its fight against the terrorist organization Hamas. Defense Minister Gallant now puts the number of fighters killed at 10,000 and the same number are injured. According to a new count, 1,163 people were killed on the Israeli side.
Amid talks about a possible new ceasefire, the Israeli army and the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas have continued fighting in the Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses reported Israeli attacks in the south and center of the Gaza Strip on Friday night. Among those affected was the city of Khan Yunis, where Israeli military operations have been focused in recent weeks.
Israeli Defense Minister Joav Gallant said on Thursday during a visit to troops in the Gaza Strip that “10,000 Hamas terrorists” had been killed. Another 10,000 Hamas fighters are injured and therefore unable to fight. Gallant spoke of a “hard blow to her abilities.” “This war requires national resilience and resolve, and we must persevere until we complete our missions,” the defense minister continued.
In the Gaza war, the Israeli army intends to expand its fighting against Hamas to Rafah, in the southernmost part of the territory, according to the Times of Israel newspaper. The military will also reach and destroy the Hamas brigade in Rafah, just as it is currently dealing with the Hamas battalions in the area of the southern city of Khan Yunis, the newspaper quoted Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant as saying.
There are now said to be more than 1.3 million people in Rafah and the surrounding area. That’s more than half of the Gaza Strip’s total population of around 2.2 million. The Palestinian civilians are seeking protection from the fighting in extremely small spaces. The southern end of the sealed-off coastal area, which borders Egypt with the divided city of Rafah and the border crossing of the same name, is so far out of reach of ground troops.
Hostage release plan
Meanwhile, efforts are underway for a second ceasefire that should lead to the release of more hostages held by Hamas. The mediator Qatar stated that Hamas had reacted “positively” to a corresponding proposal. Hamas circles, however, reported that there was still no consensus. Qatar’s statement is premature and wrong.
Representatives of the USA, Israel, Qatar and Egypt discussed an agreement in Paris over the weekend that would provide for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip in return for a ceasefire. In addition, Palestinian prisoners are to be released from Israeli prisons and large quantities of relief goods are to be brought to the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the Belgian government summoned the Israeli ambassador to the country. The Belgian Foreign Minister Caroline Gennez explained in the short message service X that the offices of the Belgian development aid agency Enabel in the Gaza Strip had been “bombed and destroyed”. “Targeting civilian buildings is unacceptable,” Gennez wrote.
Death toll in Hamas attack on Israel rises to 1,163
The Gaza war was triggered on October 7th by an unprecedented attack on Israel by Hamas, which the USA and the EU have classified as a terrorist organization. According to a new count based on Israeli data, 1,163 people were killed in the attacks and around 250 others were taken hostage.
Most of them were civilians, men, women and children of all ages, an updated tally based on the latest official figures showed. For the count, AFP considered data from Israel’s Social Security, army, police, homeland security and the prime minister’s office, which were released separately.
Compared to the 1,139 victims determined in the same way in mid-December, the number has increased slightly. This is also due to the now confirmed deaths of some Israeli hostages kidnapped in the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli Social Security figures, 767 civilians died in the October 7 attack – 76 of whom did not have Israeli citizenship. They died when fighters from the radical Islamic group Hamas entered Israel from the Gaza Strip in the morning and brutally murdered people in kibbutz, cities and at a music festival.
Horrifying results
In addition, there are 60 police officers, ten secret service members and 306 soldiers who were killed on October 7th and in the three following days. One person is still missing. The Social Security figures do not distinguish between Israeli civilians killed by Hamas fighters and those killed by the Israeli army when it recaptured towns and kibbutzes. The army used grenades and rockets in densely populated areas to drive away the attackers, according to witness statements collected by AFP and Israeli media.
Since the attack at the beginning of October, Israel has taken massive military action in the Gaza Strip, with the declared aim of destroying Hamas. According to recent figures from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 27,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began.