Israel fought fierce fighting in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, where Hamas reported more than 160 deaths in the past 24 hours, amid disagreements between the Israeli government and its ally the United States over the possible creation of a Palestinian state, AFP reported.

On Saturday morning, an AFP correspondent reported intense artillery fire and airstrikes, particularly in the Khan Younes sector in the south, which became the epicenter of military operations after the first phase in the north of the territory.

According to the army, Israeli forces, supported by the air force and navy, are destroying “terrorist infrastructure” along the entire coastal strip and striking Khan Younes with rocket launchers.

The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which has been in power in Gaza since 2007, has reported fierce fighting in the besieged and devastated north of the Palestinian territory.

Over the past 24 hours, Israeli strikes have killed 165 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

20 thousand children were born “in hell”

The World Health Organization deplores the “inhumane living conditions” in the territory, where 2.4 million residents have nothing left. Nearly 20,000 children have been born “in hell” since the start of the Israeli offensive, according to UNICEF.

According to AFP estimates based on official Israeli figures, the war was sparked by an unprecedented attack by Hamas on October 7 in southern Israel that killed 1,140 people, mostly civilians.

About 250 people were kidnapped and taken to Gaza, about a hundred of them were released at the end of November. According to Israeli media, the families of the hostages gathered at night in front of the private residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding an agreement to release their loved ones.

Most of the Gaza Strip has turned into ruins after massive Israeli bombing Photo: AA/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia

In response to this attack, Israel has vowed to “destroy” Hamas and remains deaf to UN and international calls for a ceasefire for humanitarian aid.

According to a new report released Saturday by the Hamas health ministry, 24,927 people, the vast majority of them women, children and teenagers, were killed and 62,108 wounded in Israeli operations.

Biden vs. Netanyahu

Israel’s main ally and supporter, the United States, has urged it to limit civilian casualties and reaffirmed its support for a Palestinian state, which has been rejected by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

“Israel must have security control over all the territory west of the Jordan River,” which includes the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, “a necessary condition that goes against the idea of ​​(Palestinian) sovereignty,” Netanyahu reiterated on Thursday. .

The day after his speech, he spoke by phone with US President Joe Biden about the upcoming two-state solution, a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Joe Biden “still believes in the prospect and possibility” of a Palestinian state, but “recognizes that it will take a lot of work,” the White House said after the meeting, the first since Dec. 23.

Borrell: Israel “created” and “financed” Hamas to “prevent” the creation of a Palestinian state

In the absence of an agreement with Washington on this central issue of the post-war period, Israel has given the green light to the shipment of flour destined for Gaza through the Israeli port of Ashdod, according to the White House.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell argued that “the two-state solution must be imposed from the outside”, accusing Israel of “creating” and “financing” Hamas to “prevent” a Palestinian state and “weaken” Mahmoud Abbas. Palestinian Authority.

The conflict, now in its fourth month, is exacerbating regional tensions between Israel and the “axis of resistance” that unites anti-Israeli groups such as Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis around Iran.

Houthi rebels claimed new attacks on a US oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden, prompting further US strikes against them on Friday.

On the Israeli-Lebanese border, where fire is exchanged daily, the Israeli military said Friday it had struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese movement claiming three attacks on Israeli territory.

In neighboring Syria, Israel has also stepped up operations against the regime and pro-Iranian groups. On Saturday, an Israeli strike targeted a building in Damascus where pro-Iranian officials were meeting, killing five people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.