7am AEDT, 5 December
What’s happening?
Heavy fighting is reported in Khan Younis as Israeli tanks and other forces move into southern Gaza (though the fighting in northern Gaza continues)
Three Israeli soldiers were killed overnight. Seventy-five soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the ground operation.
Israel has issued travel warnings for Israelis travelling abroad, ranking all the world’s countries from 1 (safe) to 4 (unsafe). Australia ranks 2. Meanwhile, the Danish army is now posting soldiers outside Jewish buildings in Denmark. (The Israeli travel warning ranks Denmark as 1)
Background
In the West Bank, the prisoners released as part of the truce deal is seen as a Hamas achievement, with popularity for Hamas having risen accordingly.
A US Government spokesperson has said that the reason Hamas didn’t release all its female hostages (which was why the truce broke down) was because Hamas didn’t want those women talking about their experiences at the hands of Hamas during captivity.
Will Salam Fayyad be handed the keys to Gaza after Israel defeats Hamas?
