Gaza Offensive Continues As Israel Marks 100th Day of Hostages in Captivity

Jerusalem, 14 January, 2024 (TPS) -- As Israelis prepared to mark 100 days of captivity for the hostages abducted by Hamas on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces said soldiers destroyed launch pits used by Hamas to fire rockets at Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night marked 100 days of Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip by reiterating his vow to continue fighting until the Palestinian terror group is defeated.

“Today, we mark 100 days of the war, 100 days since the terrible day on which our citizens were massacred and taken hostage. We are continuing the war until the end—until total victory, until we achieve all of our goals: eliminating Hamas, returning all of our hostages and ensuring that Gaza will never again constitute a threat to Israel,” said Netanyahu.

The premier then pivoted to the proceedings at The Hague, where South Africa has launched a case in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of genocide. Pretoria has also demanded an immediate end to the Israel Defense Forces’ operation against Hamas.

“The hypocritical onslaught at The Hague against the state of the Jews that arose from the ashes of the Holocaust, at the behest of those who came to perpetrate another Holocaust against the Jews—is a moral low point in the history of nations,” said Netanyahu.

The launch pits were discovered in the north Gaza village of Atatra, the IDF said.

Over the past day, the Israeli military continued to push its offensive in Khan Yunis, where nine terrorists were killed in joint operations between ground forces and the Air Force. Five were killed by tank fire on a tunnel shaft.

In Maghazi, Israeli troops killed two armed terrorists advancing toward a compound where the soldiers were by directing an air strike.

At least 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on Oct. 7. The number of men, women, children, soldiers and foreigners held captive in Gaza by Hamas is now believed to be 136. Other people remain unaccounted for as Israeli authorities continue to identify bodies and search for human remains.