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Israeli soldiers patrol the West Bank: declared “national territory.”
Photo: Maya Alleruzzo / dpa
Israel has been fighting against the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip for almost six months, and the Middle East conflict is raging with new severity. The Israeli army also repeatedly takes action against Islamist fighters in the West Bank. Now, amid the tensions, the Israeli government has announced the confiscation of 800 hectares of land in the occupied West Bank.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that the area in the Jordan Valley had been declared "national territory." According to Israeli activists, it is the largest seizure of Palestinian lands since 1993.
Sharp criticism from the world public
Israel has been heavily criticized internationally for its actions. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, almost 32,000 people have been killed in air strikes on the narrow Gaza Strip. The information cannot be independently verified, but is viewed as credible by many organizations internationally. Many people have fled to the south of the coastal section and there is a threat of immense famine.
The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by the unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7th by Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the USA and the EU. According to Israeli information, around 1,140 people were killed and around 250 others were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. Israel assumes that there are still around 130 hostages held by Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip. 33 of them are presumed dead.
As part of the Gaza offensive, Israel also took action against targets in the West Bank and southern Lebanon. The West Bank is administered by the Palestinian Authority, while the Gaza Strip is controlled by Hamas.
mrc/AFP