The British newspaper “Observer” published in a report by its correspondent in Jerusalem, Emma Graham Harrison, that Israeli aircraft bombed refugee camps in Gaza yesterday, Saturday, as its forces expanded their ground operations and tens of thousands of Palestinians fled their homes, paving the way for a new year as bloody and destructive as the last three months of the year. 2023.

She spoke of broader signs of escalation in the region as well, “with the intensification of skirmishes on the northern border with Lebanon, while Israeli officials hinted that the ‘diplomatic hourglass’ was beginning to run out to reach a negotiated solution.”

She added that at the moment there appears to be little hope for a temporary halt to the attacks, even after Egypt hosted talks last week and pushed through plans for a gradual halt to the war.

She noted that a senior Hamas official told the Associated Press on Saturday that it was “steadfast in its position that there will be no release of hostages without a permanent ceasefire.” On the other hand, “Israel will not accept an end to a war that its leaders describe as an existential war without borders.”

She stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says, “Hamas must be destroyed after the brutal attacks that occurred on October 7.”

The writer emphasized that “the scale of death and suffering inside Gaza has isolated Israel internationally, so much so that allies such as the United Kingdom are now calling for a “sustainable ceasefire.” Health authorities in the Hamas-run Strip say that more than 21,600 people were killed in Gaza, the majority of them women and children, and thousands more were buried under the rubble.

The authorities said that the intense attacks that took place on Friday and Saturday, including on the refugee camps in Nuseirat and Bureij, killed 165 people within 24 hours.

The writer pointed out that Washington's consistent support helped Israeli leaders ignore international concerns about the humanitarian crisis and focus on the military campaign.

Last Friday, President Joe Biden's administration approved the sale of military equipment to Israel worth $150 million (£118 million), bypassing Congress to do so for the second time in one month. The US State Department pointed to “the urgent Israeli defense need.”

The report quoted Dalia Sheindlin, a political strategist and fellow at the Century Foundation for American Foreign Policy, as saying that there is widespread support in Israeli society for the war, despite widespread anger over the military and intelligence failures that left Israelis vulnerable on October 7.

She added, “The families of the hostages were strong critics of the government, and loud voices were calling for a ceasefire,” but even they “are not really calling for an end to the war.”

The report noted that US officials have called in recent weeks for more “targeted” attacks on Hamas leaders, amid daily warnings from the United Nations and other relief agencies about the devastating scale of human suffering.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said on Saturday, “Gaza is suffering from catastrophic hunger, and 40% of the population is now at risk of famine.” “Every day is a struggle for survival.”

The writer pointed out that almost all of Gaza's residents fled their homes, and that they gathered in tents and densely populated parts of the south and center of the Strip, which Israeli military officials say are safer, although they are still subject to regular bombing.

There is a shortage of food, clean water and medical supplies, after weeks of tight Israeli siege. And when supplies are allowed in, active fighting and logistical challenges in a war-torn region mean they do not reach many desperate residents.

Thomas White, UNRWA's director of Gaza affairs, said Israeli forces opened fire on UN staff who were on an aid mission on Friday.

White said on the “X” website: “Israeli soldiers opened fire on an aid convoy as it was returning from northern Gaza along the route specified by the Israeli army.”

He added: “The commander of our international convoy and his team were not injured, but one vehicle was damaged.”

The writer emphasized that military and diplomatic support is still flowing to Israel, but the end of unconditional American support looms on the horizon next year, which means that Israeli leaders have little incentive to curb their campaign now.

“America is pressuring the Israeli authorities to at least begin to envision the end of the intensive phase,” Scheindlin said.

Having sworn to destroy Hamas and eliminate its leadership, they still lack any tangible evidence that the war that has brought devastation to Gaza and claimed increasing numbers of Israeli soldiers has made the country safer.

The Israeli army has repeatedly claimed that it is closing in on the men behind the October 7 attacks. A spokesman said on Saturday that “forces destroyed a tunnel complex in a house used by Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar,” and posted photos of the site.

But they were unable to kill or arrest any of the senior Hamas leaders on the country's hit list, or provide details on how they believe they can take down an organization with political and ideological ties beyond Gaza.

Sheindlin described the war as “beginning as a concerted effort to stop an active attack, then turning into a campaign with a legitimate military objective, but fueled by anger and a desire for revenge, and now moving toward a stalemate.”

She stressed that “the unity that brought the country together in the shadow of grief and terror after the October 7 attacks launched by Hamas has begun to show cracks.”

According to the author, perhaps the most divisive question is how much priority the fate of hostages in war should receive: many families say they feel neglected by the government.

Now questions have resurfaced over Netanyahu's push for controversial judicial reforms, which have fueled violent political divisions and mass protests.

So too is the economy, she stressed, with reservists away from their jobs, tourism hit hard by the war, and spending falling at a bleak time for the nation.

However, the author emphasizes, “combined domestic and international pressure may not have the effect that those who want to stop or curb the attacks might hope for, simply because the government has no other plan.”

“Despite all the internal pressure that might make us believe that the government wants to end the war, I am not completely convinced,” Sheindlin said. She added: “They are acting completely steadfastly with their absolute incompetence in the first months (in power)... and they do not have any other plan, even if this plan does not succeed.”