Israel launches barrage of bomb attacks across Gaza after widening its offensive
PBS NewsHourDec 30, 2023
Tens of Thousands of Palestinians Flee Central Gaza
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Image copyright: Amir Levy/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Palestinians continued to flee central Gaza Friday as the Israeli military bombarded the area in preparation for its troops to move in on the ground. Tens of thousands of Palestinians from the already crowded central districts of Bureij, Maghazi, and Nusseirat fled to the south of the strip of Deir al-Balah, pitching makeshift tents.
This comes as the Israeli military claimed that it had located and demolished a hideout apartment on the outskirts of Gaza City in the north of the strip belonging to Hamas political leader Yahya Sinwar, along with a large tunnel system under it. The military said that it had uncovered “many findings” in the apartment that indicated Sinwar used it as a hideout, though no details were given.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Though, of course, Israel has a right to dismantle Hamas's military capabilities, it must wage this war in a humane way. The amount of civilians being killed will only galvanize Palestinians against peace and push them into the arms of Hamas. A more thorough and surgical campaign is now needed to eliminate Hamas's leadership in Gaza, as Israel is losing global support.
Pro-Israel narrative
Though this has been a tragic war, Israel cannot allow Hamas to survive. It seems that the Biden administration wants to pressure Israel into a ceasefire, but Israel must push back against such short-sighted thinking. Israel is a sovereign country and has the right to defend itself from terrorism and pursue its own interests. Hamas's military capabilities must be eliminated so that the group can never launch a terrorist attack like Oct. 7 again.
Pro-Palestine narrative
Israel continues to demonstrate that its war is not against Hamas but against the Palestinian people as a whole. Nowhere in Gaza is safe, and Israel has effectively rendered the north of the strip unlivable, as it kills Palestinians at an unprecedented rate. Though the US, Israel's biggest ally, wants to minimize the war's intensity, it must instead exert more pressure to end the war completely.
