New Wave of Israeli Attacks in Gaza Coincides with Netanyahu's Visit to the U.S.

Israeli forces launched new attacks in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, August 3, just hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech in the U.S. Congress. According to local residents, several homes were destroyed in the recent Israeli attacks in the eastern cities of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, forcing thousands of Palestinians to flee towards western areas. Palestinian health officials operating under Hamas report that they are unable to send rescue teams to these cities due to ongoing clashes. The Israeli army claims it is targeting sites used by Hamas militants for launching rockets. Health officials in Gaza state that at least 55 people have been killed in the past 24 hours due to Israeli attacks. Prior to the attacks, the Israeli army had asked residents of these cities to move towards a designated safe area in the west. Israeli forces also conducted airstrikes in several areas in central and northern Gaza, including the 'Al-Bureij' camp in central Gaza, which, according to Palestinian health officials, left at least 9 dead. Following the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 15, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the abduction of over 250 others, including children, women, and the elderly, Israel began its offensive in Gaza aimed at freeing the hostages and eliminating this Iran-backed Islamist group. The Iranian government, which has declared its full support for Hamas's terrorist attack from the outset, has targeted Israel and U.S. positions in the region through its proxy groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. On Wednesday, Hezbollah released a video claiming it was taken by the group's reconnaissance drone from a military site inside Israel. According to Hezbollah, the footage shows air defense weapons, aircraft, and fuel storage units at the 'Ramat David' airbase, located about 50 kilometers inside Israeli territory. This is the third in a series of videos released by Hezbollah aimed at demonstrating weaknesses in Israel's defense system. The first video was taken from the port city of 'Haifa' and the second from the occupied 'Golan Heights.' An Israeli army spokesperson stated that the recent video was filmed by a reconnaissance drone but did not disrupt operations at the airbase. These videos are released amid rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, which are consequences of the ongoing Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, both of which receive support from the Iranian government. Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, announced the activation of the Starlink satellite internet service in a hospital in Gaza. This service has been activated with the help of the United Arab Emirates and in cooperation with Israel. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE's foreign minister, thanked the American billionaire for supporting the UAE field hospital in Gaza, which has faced severe shortages of medical supplies after months of war. High-speed internet enables remote medical consultations and video calls with specialists around the world. The establishment of local internet in Gaza is weak due to shortages of manpower and fuel for service providers. The UAE is among the Arab countries that signed a normalization agreement with Israel along with Bahrain and Morocco.