Abu Obeida threatens the occupation, and Smotrich threatens to annex areas in the West Bank.

On the 82nd day of the resumption of the "war of extermination" against the Gaza Strip, the tension between the conflicting parties has escalated. The official spokesman for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida, confirmed the continuation of qualitative resistance operations against the occupation forces, while Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich renewed his threat to annex additional areas of the West Bank.

In an audio recording, Abu Obeida praised what he described as the “heroic actions of the mujahideen” during the military operations carried out by the Brigades yesterday in several areas of the Gaza Strip. He noted that the resistance fighters “continue to emulate the prophets in inflicting defeats on the enemy,” and threatened Israel with “continuing to carry out more qualitative operations in all areas where the occupation forces are present.” He warned of “more surprises” that will be governed by new strategies based on shocking the enemy and dismantling its operational capabilities.

For his part, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to annex "strategic areas" in the West Bank to Israeli sovereignty, in a message he said aimed to "deter resistance and support facts on the ground." This comes in the context of an escalating settlement policy in the West Bank for months, amid international warnings that any move in this regard would lead to further tension and violence.

On the ground in Gaza, the Strip has witnessed, over the past few hours, a wave of intensive Israeli airstrikes targeting the cities of Deir al-Balah, the western Jabalia camp, and areas east of Khan Yunis. These airstrikes have resulted in the deaths of at least 34 Palestinians since dawn today, according to medical sources in Gaza hospitals, in addition to dozens of injuries with varying degrees of severity. Nasser Medical Complex in Rafah also reported the deaths of six citizens and the injury of others near an American aid center. Meanwhile, the occupation launched shelling on the tents of displaced people and the vicinity of Al-Shifa and Al-Amal hospitals, hindering the access of patients and the wounded to health facilities.

The Director-General of the World Health Organization warned of the "collapse of the health system in Gaza," noting that the Nasser Medical Complex and Al-Amal Hospital are on the brink of complete collapse due to the systematic targeting of infrastructure and the destruction of field hospitals. The Ministry of Health in Gaza appealed to international bodies and humanitarian organizations to "provide a safe route to enable patients and the injured to reach Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis," after Israel designated its surroundings as a dangerous combat zone.

On the humanitarian front, both the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) affirmed their readiness to provide life-saving assistance, calling for "Israel's cooperation and provision of evidence of the allegations against the agency," and for "the reopening of safe humanitarian corridors" to alleviate the suffering of besieged civilians.

In the West Bank, occupation forces imposed a curfew on the Jaber and Salaymeh neighborhoods and Wadi al-Hussein, south of Hebron. They also raided several homes in Wadi Burqin, west of Jenin, and stormed neighborhoods in Ramallah, amid repeated settler attacks on Palestinian shepherds near Tel Ma'in. These measures coincide with Smotrich's statements, which have heightened residents' fears of continued settlement expansion and the displacement of Palestinian villages.

International calls for an immediate ceasefire and urgent opening of humanitarian crossings into Gaza are growing. UN and international envoys are meeting today to discuss ways to end the suffering and avert a deeper humanitarian catastrophe if the conflict continues at this pace.