The US State Department says the militant group has signalled it does not want a ceasefire agreement in the war. Listen to a Daily podcast on how the conflict is worsening Yemen’s humanitarian crisis as you scroll.
Tuesday 23 April 2024 11:53, UK
A resident in northern Gaza has described her fear as Israel bombarded the area overnight with what appeared to be some of the heaviest shelling in weeks.
Civilians and Hamas media reported that Israeli tanks attempted a new incursion east of Beit Hanoun city in the northeast, with gunfire reaching some schools where residents had found shelter.
There was heavy shelling there and in nearby Jabalia overnight and into this morning. Residents also reported at least 10 strikes in quick succession in Zeitoun, nearly three miles southwest of Jabalia.
“It was one of those nights of horror that we had lived in at the start of the war. The bombing from tanks and planes didn’t stop,” said mother-of-six Um Mohammad, who lives just under a kilometre from Zeitoun.
“I had to gather with my children and my sisters who came to
shelter with me in one place and pray for our lives as the house
kept shaking,” she said.
“I don’t know if we will make it alive before this war stops,” she added.
Nearly four months ago, Israel’s military withdrew troops from areas of northern Gaza it said were no longer controlled by Hamas – but has since carried out raids in places where it claims the militant group has regrouped.
Israel says it has attacked and killed two “key” fighters of the Hezbollah militant group in southern Lebanon.
The country’s air force said it carried out an attack this morning which killed Hussein Ali Azqul.
Azqul was “heavily involved” in Hezbollah’s air defence operations, the air force said, and “took part in the planning and execution of a variety of terrorist activities”.
Israeli forces also killed militant Muhammad Khalil Atiya in an overnight attack in the Arzon area of Tyre in southern Lebanon.
Describing him too as a “key” member of Hezbollah’s Radwan unit, the air force said Atiya was “involved in the preparation and execution of terrorist plans”.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says he doesn’t believe Hamas will move out of Qatar following reports that senior leaders were eyeing up a move from the militant group’s headquarters in Doha.
The Wall Street Journal reported the apparent proposal, noting that it could complicate the ceasefire and hostage release talks which Qatar is involved in mediating.
But speaking to Turkish media, Mr Erdogan said he doesn’t believe Hamas will leave the Gulf state, and added that he hadn’t seen any sign that Doha would push for the move either.
On the war between Israel and Hamas, the president said total Israeli seizure of Gaza could “open the door to other occupations”.
According to the comments cited by Haberturk, Mr Erdogan said Israeli settlement in Gaza will make it “more aggressive and reckless”.
The UN’s human rights chief says he is “horrified” at the destruction of Gaza’s Al Shifa and Nasser hospitals and reports that mass graves have been discovered there.
The Palestinian Civil Defence said yesterday that it had uncovered 283 bodies from a temporary burial ground at the Nasser facility in Khan Younis.
Rights chief Volter Turk also criticised the Israeli strikes in Gaza in recent days which he said had killed mainly women and children.
By Sean Bell, military analyst
On 1 April, an attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus destroyed the building and killed 13 people inside, including two senior Iranian commanders. In response, on 13 April Iran launched an unprecedented salvo of missiles and drones at Israel.
Designated Operation True Promise, the attack reportedly included around 170 drones, 120 surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and 30 cruise missiles.
Had even a small proportion of the Iranian missiles hit their intended targets, Israel could have suffered significant casualties, which would almost certainly have triggered a wider regional war.
Instead, a huge multi-national operation was launched to protect Israel.
Although Israel provided scant details at the time, it is now apparent this was a unique and complex multi-national effort in very difficult and dangerous circumstances.
This is one of the topics explored in this week’s RedMatrix podcast.
Detect, track and destroy – but how?
The first challenge was to detect the launch of any cruise and ballistic missiles – the primary threat – and then track their progress.
The outer ring of Israel’s defence was probably provided by US military ships stationed in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea.
However, it appears most of the incoming missiles and drones were intercepted by allied fighter jets.
As a former fighter pilot myself, the fighters would have needed unimpeded access to Israel’s neighbours’ airspace to intercept the missiles when operating at night, but would also have been under immense pressure to ensure any debris from a successful intercept did not fall into an urban area and cause casualties.
A highly complex and risky mission
The fighters had to be procedurally deconflicted to minimise the risk of any collisions, with a complex airspace deconfliction plan developed and implemented apace.
Refuelling assets would also have been needed to extend the range of the fighters, and fighter controllers would have helped prioritise targets and help ensure deconfliction.
Although many of the fighters would have been armed with an air-to-air cannon, targeting slow-speed drones at night and at low-level with guns would have been a difficult challenge.
Instead, it could be the fighter jets would have had to choose between using a heat-seeking missile or a radar-guided missile.
These missiles are extremely capable, but are optimised for shooting down modern fighter jets, and not small, plastic, slow-speed drones.
Finally, the Israeli Iron Dome missiles acted as the last line of defence.
Praise for RAF
This highly complex, dynamic and dangerous mission was conducted by a multinational force, at short notice, and with evident success.
No wonder Prime Minister Rishi Sunak heaped praise on the RAF pilots involved who had put themselves in harm’s way “to protect the innocent and preserve peace and stability”.
Lord Cameron has called on Hamas to send its remaining hostages home from Gaza as he marks 200 days since the deadly 7 October attacks in Israel.
In a post to X, the UK foreign secretary said the hostages’ families “continue to face unimaginable suffering”.
Around 250 people were violently snatched by Hamas in its raids of southern Israel more than six months ago. According to Israel, the militant group is still holding around 100 live hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
Israel’s military operation has devastated much of northern Gaza, with many buildings reduced to rubble.
These images show Palestinians sitting among the remains of homes destroyed in Israeli strikes.
Israel’s air force says it has destroyed two launching positions used by Hamas in southern Gaza.
Fighter jets carried out a “number of attacks” overnight, it said.
The launch sites were reportedly identified and attacked before they could attack Israeli territory.
The air force said it also targeted “a number of” Hamas militants who it claims were hiding in a civilian shelter in the Al Bureij area of central Gaza.
Some 25 “terrorist targets” have been destroyed in the past day, it reported.
US-led coalition forces in Syria were the target of a failed rocket strike on Sunday, according to a US defence official.
The official said rockets were launched at a base housing forces in Rumalyn. No one was injured.
Iraqi authorities said yesterday they were searching for “outlaw elements” who launched around five missiles from Iraq into Syria late on Sunday.
It’s not clear who was behind the attack – the first on a US facility in Iraq or Syria since February.
Satellite images appear to show a new tent compound being constructed near Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
It comes as Israel continues to signal it will launch an offensive in the nearby city of Rafah despite opposition from the US.
Photos analysed by the AP News agency seemingly show dozens of tents being built near Khan Younis, which has been repeatedly targeted by the Israeli military in recent weeks.
Israel said it plans to evacuate civilians from Rafah ahead of its anticipated operation in the southernmost city.
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