what to remember from Friday, December 29

Hamas officials traveled to Cairo to discuss an Egyptian plan for an exit from the conflict. The UN has accused Israel of opening fire on a humanitarian convoy.

The Israeli army continues its massive bombardments in the center and south of the Gaza Strip on Friday, December 29. The WHO also renewed its alerts on the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Here are the main events of the 84th day of fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Israeli army opens fire on UN convoy

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Friday that the Israeli army had fired on one of its convoys “while returning from northern Gaza, following a route designated by the Israeli army”. Our leader and his team were not injured, but a vehicle was damaged.”declared Thomas White, the director of the agency, on (ex-Twitter), adding that “aid workers should never be a target”. Questioned by AFP, the Israeli army indicated “check” this information.

WHO chief ‘very concerned’ about growing threat of infections in Gaza

A “growing threat”. The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declared himself “very concerned” about the risk of infectious diseases in the Gaza Strip, taken by storm by Israel since the attacks of October 7, in a publication on X Friday. Nearly 180,000 people suffer from upper respiratory infections, the official detailed, while 136,400 cases of diarrhea have been recorded, half of which in children under 5 years old.

Two Palestinians killed in West Bank after attacks injuring four, Israeli army says

Four people were injured Friday in a car-ramming attack, killing the perpetrator, near an Israeli military post in the occupied West Bank, according to the Israeli army and emergency services. Another Palestinian who tried to throw a bomb at a military post was killed, according to the army. At least 315 Palestinians have been killed in the region by soldiers since October 7, and in some cases by Israeli settlers, according to a tally by the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry.

South Africa accuses Israel of “genocide” before the International Court of Justice

South Africa on Friday filed a petition against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the main judicial body of the United Nations, accusing it of engaging in “acts of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza”. Pretoria claims that “Israel’s acts and omissions are genocidal because they are accompanied by the specific intent required […] to destroy the Palestinians of Gaza as part of the larger national, racial and ethnic group of Palestinians”underlined the ICJ in a press release.

“Israel rejects with disgust the defamation […] propagated by South Africa and its appeal to the International Court of Justice”reacted on the spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The decisions of the ICJ, which judges disputes between States, are final, but it has no means of enforcing them.

Talks for a truce in Cairo

Hamas officials visited the Egyptian capital to convey “several sightings” about the Egyptian plan to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group. This plan provides for renewable truces, staggered releases of Palestinian hostages and prisoners and, ultimately, a ceasefire putting an end to hostilities. “We are in touch [avec les médiateurs égyptiens]“declared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.

US approves new ’emergency’ sale of shells to Israel

The US government announced that it had approved “emergency” the sale to Israel of artillery ammunition for an amount of 147.5 million dollars, without going through Congress, Friday December 29. Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded “the existence of an emergency requiring this immediate sale to the Israeli government”, justified a press release from the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency, a federal agency responsible in particular for American military sales to foreign states. The sale concerns 155 mm shells and various military equipment taken from the stocks of the United States army, the press release specifies.