Tuesday, May 18, 2021
“Thrown back by years”
Netanyahu: Hamas weakened by attacks
So far there is no end to violence in the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu sees Hamas in the Gaza Strip, however, weakened by the attacks by the Israeli military. However, rockets are being fired again from the Palestinian Territory – there are more deaths on the Israeli side.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees Hamas in the Gaza Strip significantly weakened by the Israeli attacks on its military infrastructure. The Islamist Palestinian Organization was “thrown back by years,” said Netanyahu, according to his office, during a visit to an air force base in the south of the country.
Hamas has received “blows it did not expect”. “We will continue as long as necessary to bring the people of Israel back calm,” said Netanyahu after this information. The 71-year-old met with Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi for a briefing.
Palestinian militants again fired rockets and mortar shells at Israeli towns in the vicinity of the Gaza Strip. Two Thai workers were killed in the massive shelling and their accommodation was hit by bullets, the Israeli police confirmed. A total of twelve people in Israel have so far been killed by rocket fire from the Palestinian coastal area.
Hamas’ metro destroyed
Since the new escalation began eight days ago, Israel’s military has reportedly destroyed tunnels in the Gaza Strip that are estimated to be around 100 kilometers long. According to Israeli representations, Hamas had built the tunnel system known as the “Metro” over the years. It is hundreds of kilometers long and is used, among other things, to move fighters, ammunition and food within the Gaza Strip, sometimes with vehicles.
Israel also killed numerous commanders from Hamas and its allied Islamic jihad in the course of the week-long military operations. The Israeli Air Force reduced the homes of numerous commanders to rubble and ashes. According to the military, they were used as command centers, communication facilities and weapons stores.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health put the number of deaths within a week at 213. The Israeli military has repeatedly emphasized that it has no intention of attacking civilian targets. Hamas and other militants, however, would store fighters and weapons in or near homes. With two million inhabitants on 365 square kilometers, Gaza is extremely densely populated and built up.
Tensions in the occupied West Bank
Meanwhile, tensions in the occupied West Bank escalated. Palestinian militants and Israeli soldiers engaged in a gun battle at an Israeli checkpoint near Ramallah. According to the Israeli police, the Palestinians shot at the Israeli post out of a crowd of demonstrators. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah, one person was killed and several dozen others were wounded by gunfire. According to the Israeli army, two soldiers were also injured.
The violence came after thousands of Palestinians demonstrated in central Ramallah against Israeli military attacks in Gaza, and several hundred of them subsequently marched to the checkpoint. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had repeatedly spoken out against armed clashes with Israel in the past. Observers believe that he will instruct his security forces to curb armed Fatah groups. Abbas fears, according to the assessments, that Hamas, which also operates in the West Bank, could try to overthrow him with an armed uprising.
Violence in Jerusalem too
Violence flared up in Jerusalem too. According to the Red Crescent, 25 people were injured in clashes between Arab youths and the Israeli police. The focal points of the confrontations were the Damascus Gate at the entrance to the Old City and the Arab quarter Sheikh Jarrah in the east of the city, which Israel has annexed.
International concerns grew over the violence between Israel and the Palestinians, the high civilian death toll and the possible widening of the conflict. US President Joe Biden declared his support for a ceasefire. He is facing increasing pressure to stand up for an end to violence. In a statement from the White House, however, he fell short of calls for an immediate ceasefire, including from his own democratic party.
The US is Israel’s most important ally. During a visit to Iceland on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “Our goal remains to end the current cycle of violence as quickly as possible.”
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