Israel's Offensive in Northern Gaza Expands to Beit Lahiya
Facts
- Israel's military said on Thursday that its offensive in northern Gaza would expand to Beit Lahiya. Around 3K Palestinians are thought to still be in the area, and Israel has called for them to evacuate. Israeli forces had been focusing on nearby Jabalia for the last month.[1][2]
- Israeli bombardment of northern Gaza alongside its evacuation orders have forced scores to flee. Israel said it found evidence that Hamas fighters had been active in Beit Lahiya. Israel has launched multiple offensives in the area to dislodge Hamas' forces.[3][2]
- Israel's military, responding to claims in The Guardian that Israel would empty northern Gaza of people, not let them return, and block food from reaching the area, said the article didn't reflect the military's 'objectives and values,' adding that civilians cannot return while military operations are ongoing.[4]
- Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant — who was sacked earlier this week by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — told some of the families of Israeli hostages in Gaza that there was no need for Israeli forces to remain in Gaza, adding that the 'greatest achievements' had already occurred.[5][6]
- Meanwhile, fighting has also continued to rage in south Lebanon. UNESCO has called for an emergency session to protect Lebanese heritage sites affected by Israeli bombing, while the Lebanese ministry of culture said an Israeli airstrike had seriously damaged an Ottoman-era building close to the Roman ruins in the city of Baalbek.[7]
- At least 40 people were also killed in the strikes. Around 100 members of Lebanon's parliament have called on UNESCO to to protect the country's historic sites.[8]
Sources: [1]CBS, [2]Timesofisrael (a), [3]Al Jazeera, [4]Timesofisrael (b), [5]Jerusalem Post, [6]BBC News, [7]The Artnewspaper and [8]Associated Press.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by New York Times. Though the situation in the region continues to escalate, the US has stood firm in its role as a mediator. Israel has every right to respond to the daily terror attacks it has seen since Oct. 7. However, it is in no one's interest for tensions to explode into a wider regional war. The US will continue to work toward regional stability.
- Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Jerusalem Post. Hamas continues to use Gaza's civilian population as human shields, as it increasingly converts schools and hospitals into command and control centers. Indeed, Hamas is solely to blame for the destruction of Gaza and its impact on the civilian population, as it started this terrible war with the massacres of Oct. 7. Israel will continue to pacify the group and confront its regional enemies.
- Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by +972 Magazine. Israel's true goal in northern Gaza is to starve and exterminate the civilian population so that the region is never inhabited by Palestinians again, paving the way for Israeli settlers. Israeli politicians and military officials have been quite clear about the country's genocidal goals, yet the media continues to ignore their horrifying ambitions. This is a campaign of mass extermination that has received the full backing of the US.