The 103rd day of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip witnessed a series of developments, most notably the continuation of Israeli massacres, Israel’s admission of the killing of soldiers, as well as the refusal of a number of reserve soldiers to participate in the fighting in Gaza, in addition to a series of political positions.
Gaza
On the 103rd day of the war on Gaza, the Israeli occupation army said that it carried out an airdrop of the 98th Division in Khan Yunis, while the Al Jazeera correspondent said that the Israeli Air Rescue Unit continues to transport wounded soldiers from the battle areas in the Gaza Strip.
On the other hand, the Al-Qassam Brigades announced that its fighters destroyed Israeli Merkava tanks and troop carriers, sniped at Israeli soldiers, and targeted a force of 7 soldiers and finished them off from zero range.
The Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, said that it shot down an Israeli Quadcopter drone while it was carrying out an intelligence mission in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday that the number of victims of the Israeli aggression on Gaza had risen to 24,448 martyrs and 61,504 injured, and explained that the occupation forces had committed 16 massacres in the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours.
In turn, the Israeli occupation army admitted on Wednesday that 4 soldiers, including 3 officers, were killed during the ongoing battles in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the official Israeli radio reported that a number of Army Reserve soldiers refused to participate in the fighting inside the Gaza Strip. The radio added that the soldiers who refused to participate in the fighting spoke of serious gaps in the level of training.
This coincides with the anticipation of the entry of a shipment of medicines into the besieged Gaza Strip after a Qatari-brokered agreement between Hamas and Israel that includes the entry of medicines and a shipment of humanitarian aid to civilians, in exchange for the delivery of medicines to Israeli prisoners held by the resistance.
The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the arrival of two Qatari Armed Forces planes to Al-Arish carrying aid to Gaza from Qatar and France, including medicines.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry added that the aid comes after the success of Qatar’s mediation, in cooperation with France, in reaching an agreement between Hamas and Israel.
Political developments
Leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Osama Hamdan, said that the Al-Qassam Brigades, Al-Quds Brigades, and the Resistance are still managing the battle with strength and ability, adding that Hamas holds the administration of US President Joe Biden responsible for the crimes of the Israeli occupation in Gaza.
Hamdan stressed that any initiative to introduce medicines to prisoners must include the introduction of medicines to the Palestinians in Gaza, expressing his hope that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not obstruct the understanding reached with Qatar’s mediation to introduce medicines.
On the other hand, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said, “If we do not dismantle Hamas, we will not be able to live in the State of Israel.” Gallant added that “military pressure alone will lead to the return of the kidnapped people.”
In turn, the Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu as saying that according to recent assessments of the ongoing war with Hamas, “the conflict may continue until 2025.”
As for the Israeli Channel 13, it said that Netanyahu obstructed in recent days a proposal for a prisoner exchange deal, drawn up by the Ministers of the War Council.
In the United States, Senator Mark Warner said that Israel should know that it may lose Washington’s support if the management of the conflict in Gaza does not change, while his colleague Chris Coons expressed his concern about the way Israel is managing its campaign in Gaza.
For his part, Colombian President Gustavo Petro told Al Jazeera that what is happening in Gaza is not a war, but rather genocide and a crime against humanity, expressing his appreciation for South Africa’s move to take Israel to court before the International Court of Justice.
On the other hand, Bloomberg News quoted informed sources that the European Union intends to impose sanctions on Hamas, due to its attack on Israel. According to the sources, European sanctions have been agreed upon and will be announced on Monday at the foreign ministers’ meeting.
The bank
Al Jazeera’s correspondent reported that the Israeli occupation forces stormed the town of Bani Naim, east of Hebron, amid the outbreak of confrontations and the firing of poison gas bombs.
The official Palestinian News Agency (Wafa) reported that a number of young men were martyred in the bombing by an Israeli drone on a car near the Balata camp, east of Nablus.
In Qalqilya, the Israeli occupation forces arrested Palestinian workers from the Gaza Strip who were in a residential building.
Lebanon
Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy said that the possibility of war erupting on the northern border in the coming months is much higher than before.
This comes amid an escalation in mutual bombing operations between Israel and Hezbollah, the latest of which was targeting Israeli military sites in the Shebaa Farms, and the occupation aircraft launched attacks on targets it described as military in the Wadi Saluki area in southern Lebanon.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent said that sirens sounded on Wednesday in at least 10 Israeli towns along the border with Lebanon.
The Red Sea
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced that Washington has relisted the Houthi group in Yemen as a “global terrorist organization.” Sullivan said that the classification will take effect within 30 days, adding that if the Houthis stop their attacks in the Red Sea, Washington will consider lifting this classification.
For his part, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that the Houthis launched unprecedented attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and on forces stationed in the region, and added that Washington wants this classification to force the Houthis to move away from Iran.
On the other hand, Ansar Allah (Houthis) spokesman Muhammad Abdul Salam told Al Jazeera that the United States is using the issue of our classification for political purposes, and there is no effectiveness on the ground for this classification decision. He stressed that the American classification would not discourage the Houthis from supporting Palestine, but rather made them more committed to their position on the issue.
He pointed out that operations “will continue to prevent Israeli ships heading to Israel from passing through the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and Bab al-Mandab.”
In turn, the Hamas movement expressed its condemnation of the American decision and considered it politicized and represents a blatant bias towards the occupation, and an open attempt to give it cover to continue its aggression.