After violent fighting in Gaza this Saturday, the IDF claims to have “eliminated around fifty terrorists” but other Palestinian sources, often controlled by Hamas, report at least 64 deaths, including many civilians.
On Saturday, violent fighting pitted the IDF against Hamas militants, particularly in Jabalia, in the north of the territory, and Rafah, in the south, according to the UN agency UNRWA.
The IDF claims to have “eliminated around fifty terrorists”. But Palestinian sources controlled by Hamas report at least 64 deaths, including many civilians.
In Rafah, an Israeli strike left two people dead in a displaced persons camp, the city’s Kuwaiti hospital said. The al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, also claimed to be confronting Israeli troops in the east of the city, who entered this sector on May 7.
“Dozens of people were martyred and hundreds of others injured” in Jabalia, Hamas said on Saturday, accusing the Israeli army of “destroy residential buildings (…) and target schools and shelters”.
A hundred Israeli hostages still captive
For his part, the chief spokesperson of the IDF announced that the body of an Israeli hostage had been found. This is the fourth body that has been found in a few hours.
Daniel Hagari identified the four hostages as Shani Louk, Amit Buskila and Itzhak Gelerenter, who he said were killed by Hamas militants during the Nova music festival and their bodies transported to Gaza.
“The body of Israeli hostage Ron Binyamin, blessed be his memory, was also found during an IDF operation.”
The release of Israeli hostages remains a major concern for part of Israeli public opinion. On Saturday, thousands of people demonstrated again in Tel Aviv to demand new elections and the resignation of Benjamin Netanyahu.
Benny Gantz’s ultimatum set for June 8
Also on Saturday, Benny Gantz, a popular centrist member of Israel’s war cabinet and the prime minister’s main rival, threatened to resign if he did not adopt a new plan for the Gaza war in three weeks, a move that would leave the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will rely more on his far-right allies.
“The war cabinet must formulate and approve, by June 8, an action plan to achieve six strategic objectives of national importance,” Benny Gantz said in a televised speech.
The announcement deepens the division within Israeli leaders, more than seven months after the start of a war in which Israel has yet to achieve its stated goals of dismantling Hamas and returning the many hostages taken during the attack. of the October 7 activist group.