Israeli raids have hit a hospital in the Gaza Strip and the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. In the first attack, 20 people were killed, including five journalists. Israel continues its offensive in the Gaza Strip and operations in neighboring countries in anticipation of the Tuesday meeting of the security cabinet, which is expected to approve plans for the invasion of Gaza City.
Attack on the Nasser hospital
This morning, Palestinian sources reported an attack on the Nasser hospital, near the city of Khan Yunis. According to hospital workers, the explosions involved five Palestinian journalists working for international agencies such as Reuters, Associated Press, and Al Jazeera. On Sunday, the Israeli air force struck the Yemeni city of Sanaa in response to a missile attack launched by the Houthis on Friday night. The Israeli president declared that Israel will respond to any attack. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that the Nasser hospital was hit by two consecutive missiles: the first hit the fourth floor of the building, while the second hit the rescuers who arrived after the first explosion. The Palestinian Red Crescent also reported that one of its doctors was injured while assisting survivors of the first explosion.
Israeli Defense Forces’ response
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that they carried out an attack in the area, but denied intentionally targeting journalists. “The IDF apologizes for any damage to non-combatants and does not directly attack journalists,” reads a statement, which adds that an investigation is underway to understand the incident. However, 274 media workers have been killed since the start of the conflict. The attack on the hospital comes just two weeks after journalist Anas al-Sharif was killed along with four other colleagues in front of another hospital in Gaza City.
UN special rapporteur’s request
Following today’s bombing, the UN special rapporteur reiterated her request to sanction Israel and impose an arms embargo on the country. On Sunday, the Israeli air force also bombed the Yemeni capital Sanaa, hitting the presidential palace, two power plants, and a fuel depot. According to the Houthi Health Ministry, seven people were killed in the attack, with another 86 injured. According to the IDF, the target was a military base of the Iranian-backed movement, which took power ten years ago by overthrowing the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
Houthi response
The Houthis have repeatedly launched missile and drone attacks against Israel since 2023 in response to the invasion of Gaza. Most of these attacks have been intercepted, but the exchanges have made it clear that the conflict has implications far beyond the Gaza Strip. The Tel Aviv operation comes after the Houthis launched a missile equipped with a cluster bomb on Friday for the first time. This type of munition is banned by over 100 countries. Despite Israel’s response, the Houthis have already announced that they will continue military operations in support of the Palestinians.
Israeli military operations in Syria
The exchanges between the two countries do not seem to have questioned the ceasefire reached in May between the Houthis and the United States, after the latter had conducted hundreds of airstrikes in Yemen. Israeli military operations have also been reported in neighboring Syria. The state television reported that 11 military vehicles and 60 IDF soldiers entered the Beit Jinn area in the south of the country. A presence already documented in June, when the Israeli army declared that it had arrested Hamas militants active in the area.
Lebanon: a glimmer of hope
A glimmer of hope comes from Lebanon: Israel has declared that it is willing to reduce its military presence in the south of the country if the Lebanese army obtains the disarmament of the Hezbollah militia. The Israeli opening comes after the Beirut government decided to control the presence of arms in the area, despite Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm. In his statement, the Israeli prime minister did not explicitly clarify whether the Israeli army will withdraw from the five positions it occupied after signing the ceasefire with Hezbollah last November.
Israeli occupation of Gaza City
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Israel began to strike with bombings and tanks the areas north and east of Gaza City, in preparation for the occupation announced last week. The Houthis remain a thorn in the side of Israel. Despite Tel Aviv’s repeated bombing of their positions, the Yemeni group is able to penetrate Israel’s air defenses from time to time, using new arms such as the missile that carried cluster bombs on Friday and was not intercepted. For the Houthis, attacking Israel and Israeli interests remains an effective political-propaganda tool, useful for consolidating their grip on the northwestern part of the country.
Conflict between Houthis and Israel
With the attack on the presidential compound, Israel aims to eliminate the leadership of the group, but the Houthis are a family and this is already the second generation. The conflict between the Houthis and Israel pushes the ceasefire in Yemen further away and obscures, in the media, the story of the crisis in Yemen, where, according to the UN, nearly 20 million inhabitants need humanitarian aid and food insecurity has reached emergency levels.
