As part of Israel’s renewed bombardment of Gaza, the Israeli army announced early Saturday, December 2, 2023, that it hit more than 400 targets overnight, including in the southern Khan Younis area where tens of thousands of civilians evacuated to in the past month.
At Khan Younis, the military said that it conducted overnight a “large-scale attack” hitting more than 50 targets.
Its naval forces also attacked the area with what it said were “precision weapons” aimed at Hamas-affiliated infrastructure.
Israel called on people to evacuate from Khan Younis as it expands its military operations. It told civilians to move southwards towards Rafah, close to the border with Egypt.
Militant group, Hezbollah said that it launched five attacks on Israeli military positions along the border late on Friday. Israel responded by shelling Lebanese border villages it said that the attacks originated from.
Syria’s state-run news agency also reported that Israeli air strikes hit several points on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus.
Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a blog post on Friday that the impact of the conflict remains “highly uncertain and will depend on the conflict’s duration, intensity, and spread.”
The announcement came as the IMF was already expecting growth in the region to slow from 5.6 percent in 2022 to 2 percent in 2023.
“A large-scale conflict would constitute a major economic challenge for the region. Its containment hinges on the success of international efforts to prevent further escalation to the broader region,” the IMF said.
“What is certain is that forecasts for the most directly exposed economies will be downgraded and that policies to buffer economies against shocks and preserve stability will be critical,” the IMF added.
The IMF said that while Israel, the West Bank and Gaza are the hardest hit economics-wise, neighbouring countries such as Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon are already feeling the effects in terms of reduced tourism.
Belgium’s Prime Minister Calls For End To Civilian Killings
In other developments, Belgium’s Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo disclosed that he has spoken with Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog and called for an end to civilian killings.
Speaking to reporters at the COP28 UN climate summit in Dubai, De Croo stated, “I’ve addressed my concerns about the fact that violence has started again and I’ve again repeated what I said at the Rafah gate: no more civilian killings.”
He noted that it is “unfortunate” that violence in Gaza has started again.
“We hope that as soon as possible, more hostages can be liberated. We hope that the humanitarian access could be a permanent humanitarian access,” he said.
A number of world leaders criticised Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on the second day of the COP28 summit.
Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erodgan and South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa accused Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza during their speeches.
“South Africa is appalled by the cruel tragedy that is under way in Gaza. The war against the innocent people of Palestine is a war crime that must be ended now,” Ramaphosa said.
An Israeli official insisted that the military was abiding by international law and was intent on destroying Hamas.
Hadeel Ikhmais, a climate change expert with the Palestinian Authority asked, “We are here all together, all the world together, to combat climate change and, really, we’re negotiating for what?”
Ikhmais averred,“We’re negotiating for what in the middle of a genocide?”
Israel stopped aid trucks from entering Gaza on Friday following the end of the truce.
Nonetheless, it was reported that humanitarian aid trucks carrying supplies including food, medicine and fuel to UN locations are expected to enter Gaza in limited quantities on Saturday.
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