While the Western media is talking about a possible truce between Israel and Hamas, Israeli ministers expressed their strong opposition to stopping the war on Gaza, while the Minister of Heritage renewed his call to bomb Gaza with a nuclear weapon.
Disagreements are escalating between Israeli government ministers regarding stopping the war on the Gaza Strip, amid talk of international pressure to reach a new truce between Hamas and Israel.
The Hebrew Broadcasting Corporation said that the Israeli Minister of Finance and leader of the “Religious Zionism” party, Bezalel Smotrich, called, on Wednesday, for “an immediate meeting of the mini-ministerial council for security and political affairs (cabinet).”
She pointed out that Smotrich sent the government a memorandum in which he wrote: “First: In light of the news circulated in foreign newspapers about reaching an agreement with Hamas with the approval of the war cabinet, according to which the war would stop for a full month at the very least, I demand an immediate meeting of the mini-ministerial council.” "For security and political affairs to obtain clarifications."
Western reports indicated progress in indirect talks between Israel and Hamas to conclude a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire in Gaza.
However, in a statement to the (official) Broadcasting Corporation on Wednesday, an Israeli official denied that there was any progress in this regard, indicating that the talks were continuing.
Smotrich added: "Secondly, stopping the war at such a sensitive security and political stage may jeopardize the entire campaign (war) and entail very high prices in the Gaza Strip and on other fronts, Many serious question marks hover over such a deal."
He continued: "Thirdly, stopping the war at this stage for a long period is something we cannot accept."
He said: "Fourthly, we promised to achieve victory. We promised that to the citizens of Israel, the reserve soldiers and their families, the families of the kidnapped, and the entire world. We should not jeopardize the ability to achieve this promise, which is a condition for the security of millions of citizens and the existence of the State of Israel." .
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that an Israeli offer had been put forward to reach an agreement with the Palestinian factions in Gaza, without revealing its details.
These negotiations are being conducted through Qatar and Egypt, according to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation.
The Commission said on Tuesday that the Israeli offer includes “the release of kidnapped non-soldiers, a long-term ceasefire, a tactical withdrawal of the Israeli army from several areas in the Gaza Strip, and the release of Palestinian security prisoners from Israeli prisons.”
Bombing Gaza with nuclear weapons
In turn, the Israeli Minister of Heritage, Amichai Eliyahu, reiterated his position calling for dropping a nuclear weapon on the Gaza Strip.
The Hebrew newspaper "Haaretz" said on Wednesday: "During a visit to the city of Hebron (south) of the West Bank, the Israeli Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage, Amichai Eliyahu, reaffirmed his call to drop a nuclear weapon on the Gaza Strip."
She added that Eliyahu "pointed out that the International Court of Justice, which is examining genocide cases against Israel, knows my positions."
South Africa included a previous statement by Eliahu about dropping a nuclear weapon on Gaza, as a call to commit “genocide crimes” in Gaza.
Eliyahu made a statement for the first time regarding the bombing of Gaza with a nuclear bomb at the beginning of last November, and it sparked objectionable reactions at the international level.
On January 11 and 12, the International Court of Justice in The Hague held two public hearings as part of the commencement of consideration of the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel on charges of committing “genocide crimes” against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
On December 29, South Africa filed a lawsuit before the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of committing “genocide crimes” in the Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to a fierce war for more than 3 months.
22 massacres in a day, The occupation bombs and encircles Khan Yunis and targets the headquarters of the Red Crescent
On the 109th day of the aggression, the Israeli occupation army committed 22 new massacres in the Gaza Strip, claiming the lives of 195 martyrs and hundreds of wounded. Its bombing targeted one of the buildings of Nasser Hospital and a Red Crescent headquarters housing displaced persons in Khan Yunis.
The Israeli occupation army continued its devastating aggression against the Gaza Strip for the 109th day, and intensified the bombing on several areas, resulting in dozens of martyrs and hundreds of injuries, bringing the death toll to 25,490 martyrs and 63,354 injuries since October 7, 2023.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced, on Tuesday, that the occupation had committed 22 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, claiming 195 martyrs and 354 injuries during the past 24 hours.
The Ministry pointed out that there are still a number of victims under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them.
The Israeli army announced the encirclement of the city of Khan Yunis, south of Gaza, during the past day, a city that has witnessed a concentration of fighting in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, Palestinian sources reported that this morning, Israeli warplanes launched violent raids on the center and east of the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.
The sources added that Israeli artillery again bombed the vicinity of Nasser Hospital in the city, which is witnessing fierce battles between the resistance and the occupation forces.
Local sources indicated that the occupation forces opened fire on one of the buildings of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis from the western side, resulting in shrapnel falling on the hospital, which was crowded with wounded and displaced people.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza warned that shrapnel falling on hospital buildings endangered the lives of patients, medical staff, and displaced persons. She added that the occupation places Nasser Medical Complex and Al-Amal Hospital affiliated with the Palestinian Red Crescent in Khan Yunis in imminent danger.
The Ministry also called for urgent intervention to protect the complex and hospital and facilitate the movement of ambulances.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said that, this morning (Tuesday), Israeli occupation army artillery bombed its headquarters in the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip. The Red Crescent added - via the X platform (formerly Twitter) - that the artillery shelling was accompanied by heavy gunfire from Israeli drones, which led to the injury of a number of displaced people in the building.
International organizations continue to issue warnings
For its part, Doctors Without Borders expressed its concern about the lack of ways to safely evacuate the medical team and patients from Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, stressing the continued heavy bombing in the southern and northern parts of the city since last night.
The organization reported that Nasser Hospital staff confirmed that they felt the ground shaking beneath them, as a result of the continuous bombing that spread panic in the hospital.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned that 750,000 people in Gaza are facing catastrophic hunger, calling for a significant increase in aid as the risk of famine increases.
The agency said, "Violent fighting, refusal to receive aid, and communications blackouts hamper our ability to provide aid safely and effectively."