New attacks in Gaza force thousands to flee, ceasefire negotiations divide the Government (war, day 278)

This Monday, Israeli troops intensified military operations in several parts of Gaza city with the aim of locating and combating members of Hamas and other Palestinian militias, who Tel Aviv says are hiding among civilians in that area. territory, particularly in structures such as the headquarters of UNRWA (UN agency for Palestinian refugees) or al-Ahli Hospital.

According to Lusa, the military invaded and destroyed schools and a clinic in the Shijaiyah neighborhood – the scene of fierce fighting for weeks – which they claimed had been transformed into compounds for the Islamist movement.

The Israeli Army issued several evacuation orders in neighborhoods such as Sabra, Remal, Tal al-Hawa and Daraj, forcing residents to head to a “humanitarian zone†in al-Mawasi , in the far south of the Gaza Strip, which has previously been attacked by Israel, according to Al Jazeera.

At the same time, hundreds of families left their homes in the neighborhoods of Tuffah, Daraj and the Old City of Gaza City towards the sea, following warnings from Israel. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least 40 people died following the latest Israeli attack.

Palestinians find themselves increasingly trapped, as no place is considered safe, and the majority of the population of 2.3 million people is currently displaced, Lusa recalls.

“We fled in the dark amid heavy attacks,†said Sayeda Abdel-Baki, a mother of three who took shelter with family in the Daraj neighborhood, to the Associated Press (AP). “This is the fifth time I have been displaced,†she added.

The latest incursion into Gaza comes at a time when Israel and Hamas appeared closer to reaching an agreement to move forward with ceasefire negotiations. On Sunday, the Palestinian movement had agreed to negotiate the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners even without Israel committing to a permanent ceasefire, as it had previously demanded.

In statements to AFP, a senior Hamas official said that the Israeli prime minister ordered an escalation of fighting in Gaza in order to make the last truce effort between the parties unfeasible. Benjamin Netanyahu had also released, on Sunday, a list of conditions for the ceasefire in Gaza, which included the possibility of Israeli troops returning to the Palestinian enclave “and fighting until all the objectives of the war are achieved.” §ados†.

Negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza have been a divisive issue within the Israeli political class, particularly in the Netanyahu government. According to Al Jazeera, several figures have accused the prime minister of sabotaging the talks to try to guarantee his political survival, at a time when Israelis’ discontent with the Executive is increasingly notorious.

This Monday, the Minister of Finance expressed his disagreement with a future ceasefire in Gaza, classifying it as a “defeat and humiliation for Israel†. “We will not be part of an agreement to surrender to Hamas,†declared Bezalel Smotrich, from the far-right Tkuma party.

Reacting to the conditions published by Netanyahu on Sunday, the opposition leader questioned, in a publication on the social network X: “We are at a critical moment in the negotiations, the lives of the hostages depend on that, why transmit such provocative messages?†.

This Monday, Yair Lapid assured that the Israeli Prime Minister would not be left without a “safety net†if he signed the ceasefire agreement and lost the support of the two far-right ministers, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, whose parties give the majority to their government coalition.