More from Qassam Brigades’s Abu Obeida on Gaza fighting, captives
In the four-minute audio message where the spokesman of the armed wing of Hamas in Gaza announced the ambush of Israeli soldiers, he also commented on intense ongoing fighting across the enclave and the discovery of several Israeli captives’ bodies. Here is some of what he said:
- The Israeli government continues its blind and absurd policy of revenge and destruction and moves from failure to failure – the latest chapter being failed military operations in Jabalia and Rafah.
- Palestinian forces have carried out dozens of attacks against Israeli forces in more than two weeks of Israel’s ground invasions of Rafah and Beit Hanoon.
- Israeli forces are digging up the remains of captives in Gaza for Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal machinations.
- Israel is trying to portray the discovery of the remains of its captives as a military and moral achievement.
Israeli military says it attacked Hezbollah operatives
Fighter jets bombed a military structure run by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon’s Aitaroun area after operatives were identified through aerial monitoring to be inside. It also launched an artillery strike in Kfar Kila, in southern Lebanon, “to remove a threat”.
The Israeli military confirmed several rocket launches from Lebanon towards northern Israel, some damaging buildings in the area but not inflicting any casualties.
US military reports floating pier operational despite incident
The US Central Command says its personnel continue to work with humanitarian groups to deliver aid via the floating pier off Gaza after rough seas carried away several vessels.
US soldiers delivered 1,005 tonnes of humanitarian aid to the beach transfer point with 903 tonnes distributed to the UN warehouse.
The Israeli military continues to keep land crossings closed, while the UN, US and others say land crossings are the only effective way of getting large-scale aid to desperate and starving Palestinians.
U.S. Central Command personnel continue to team up with USAID and the UN to deliver aid to the people of Gaza via a temporary pier affixed to the beach.
Aid delivered by CENTCOM personnel from the sea to the beach transfer point:
• 1005 metric tons (2,214,543 pounds) total as… pic.twitter.com/wxjfife9Ps
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 25, 2024
It's something at least. Yet 1005 tonnes total since May 17th, 112 avg a day, 19 small trucks, 6 large trucks (per the average from the land crossings)
184 metric tons delivered to the beach on May 23 and 24, 92 avg, 15 small trucks, 5 large ones
397 metric tons delivered to the UN (from the beach) on May 23 and 24, 20 large trucks
Still no where close to a replacement to the 190 large trucks avg before the Rafah and Kerem Shalom closing. But it can't even reach that at full operational capacity. The land crossings need to be re-opened asap, regardless of the pier. The pier can deliver less than 45 transport trucks a day at full capacity, using the US' numbers of 500 tons per 90 smaller trucks. Or 25% of what Rafah and Kerem Shalom let in before the Rafah invasion started. That while the aid needs to be scaled up to 500 to 800 transport trucks a day to stave off famine.
It was 500 transport trucks daily before the war started, before the agricultural and fishing industry and everything else was destroyed. Of course those before the war contained a lot more than just food, however a lot more is needed than just food. The entire health system needs to be restored and water needs to be brought in as well with most of Gaza's water wells destroyed and no power for desalination.
Anyway the pier can deliver some desperately needed flower, yet just like air drops, it's merely a drop in the deep hole of extreme necessity after 7 months of destruction.
