Israeli Forces Advance in Gaza City

Facts

• Israeli forces have continued to advance in and around Gaza City, with local reports indicating intense Israeli bombardment and the presence of military vehicles in the vicinity of several hospitals.¹
• Israeli forces are reported to be operating in the vicinity of al-Shifa Hospital, al-Quds Hospital, al-Rantisi Pediatric Hospital, and the Indonesian Hospital. Israeli troops are reportedly using loudspeakers to order civilians to flee south; reports from al-Shifa hospital, the largest in Gaza City, indicate that a missile or shell hit the hospital's courtyard, killing at least one.²
• In the West Bank, Israeli forces launched a raid into the Jenin refugee camp to “thwart terrorist infrastructure” and killed at least 14 Palestinians. Israeli forces also demolished the home of a man who allegedly killed an off-duty Israeli soldier in a ramming attack; since Oct. 7, at least 176 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and thousands injured.³
• Meanwhile, Hezbollah, an Iran-backed political party and armed group, said that Israel killed seven of its fighters but did not specify where.⁴
• On Thursday, US President Joe Biden again ruled out the possibility of a ceasefire and stated that the US was still working on freeing hostages, saying 'we’re not going to stop until we get them out.'⁵
• As of Friday, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said at least 11,078 people had been killed and 27,490 injured in Israeli bombardments since Oct. 7, when Hamas killed at least 1.4K people and abducted about 240 people in the deadliest attack ever against Israel.⁶

Sources: ¹NBC, ²BBC News, ³CNN, ⁴The Jerusalem Post, ⁵AA and ⁶Al Jazeera.

Narratives

• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by The Times of Israel. After Hamas's heinous attack on Israel, Tel Aviv has a right and a duty to dismantle Hamas' terrorist leadership as an existential threat to Israel itself. However, a short, temporary humanitarian pause may be possible on the condition that it comes with the release of Israeli hostages.
• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Middle East Eye. Living under a total blockade and unrelenting Israeli air strikes, figures show that one Palestinian child is dying every 15 minutes. Indeed, Israel is in the process of systematically attacking hospitals in Gaza City. A humanitarian cease-fire must be established immediately so much-needed aid can enter the territory.

Predictions