by Andrea Pinto
Many Hamas militiamen kneeling, half-naked and with their hands behind their backs were portrayed next to destroyed buildings. This is the image released to the media by Israeli soldiers yesterday. The reason was to demonstrate how Hamas terrorists handed themselves over by surrendering. The place where this happened was initially indicated in the northern area, near Jabiliya, where there is a refugee camp already hit by various bombings. Daniel Hagari, spokesperson for the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces), claims that the areas of Jabaliya and Shejaiya (northern Gaza) are centers of gravity for terrorists, explaining that they are identified, captured and interrogated there.
Palestinian sources dispute these images, claiming that the half-naked individuals are not Hamas fighters, but civilians. The plastic demonstration of a propaganda that uses communication as a highly pervasive weapon to influence public opinion. Regardless of the communication strategies of the contestants, the war continues, also extending to the south of the Gaza Strip in search of the leaders of Hamas. The idea of flooding the underground tunnels of Gaza with sea water is currently being evaluated by the Israeli generals: at this point the fate of the approximately 140 prisoners would be sealed and therefore dedicated to sacrifice for the Israeli cause.
Tension between the UN and Israel grows again, with the secretary general Antonio Guterres which announces the intention to invoke theapplication of Article 99 for Gaza, allowing him to bring the issue to the attention of the Security Council.
The Israeli Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, harshly condemns this move, calling it a danger to world peace and accusing Guterres of supporting Hamas. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, there have been more than 17.000 victims since the start of the war. The US Secretary of State, Antony blinken, reiterates the need for Israel to do more to protect civilians during military operations.
Furthermore, a video interview of a Palestinian woman from the Strip complains about food shortages, accusing Hamas of hoarding humanitarian aid. Some images show growing resentment, at least among part of the population, towards Hamas. Internally, some wonder whether living conditions have improved or worsened since the massacre carried out by Hamas on October 7.
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