what to remember from February 9

The Israeli army’s plans for the city of Rafah, the last refuge of civilians, are of great concern to the international community.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his army on Friday February 9 to prepare a “evacuation plan” civilians from Rafah, the main refuge for those displaced by the war in the Gaza Strip. Faced with this potential new operation, the international community is concerned and is making it known. “This would have catastrophic consequences, worsening an already disastrous humanitarian situation and an unbearable civilian toll”, declared the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, on Friday. Franceinfo summarizes the latest developments on the front of the war in Gaza.

The UN wants to avoid an “endless tragedy”

Any major offensive by the Israeli army in Rafah will worsen the “endless tragedy” taking place there, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the territory warned on Friday. EAround 1.3 million Palestinians, the majority displaced by the fighting, are crowded there, or half of the total population of the Gaza Strip. “There is a feeling of panic” in this urban area, because the Palestinians massed there “don’t know at all where they could go” in the event of an offensive on the city, already regularly bombarded for several days, deplored UNRWA.

A hospital in Khan Younes stormed

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, “the occupying forces [israéliennes] stormed the hospital Al-Amal”, located in the town of Khan Younes (south of the Gaza Strip). The soldiers reportedly began to “rummage” the health establishment. “We have difficulty communicating with our teams inside”, the NGO declared on Friday. Earlier this week, the Red Crescent announced that the 8,000 people who had taken refuge in Al-Amal and its nearby local headquarters had been evacuated.

New rocket attacks target northern Israel

After salvos of rockets launched during the night from Lebanon towards northern Israel, new barrages were reported in the afternoon in Har Dov then in the evening in Upper Galilee. These strikes come shortly after an Israeli airstrike against a military leader of Lebanese Hezbollah. For its part, the United States has carried out new bombings against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Negotiations continue in Cairo

The parties involved in the conflict are trying to find a new agreement, like the one that allowed a one-week break in the fighting at the end of November. In Cairo, a “new round of negotiations”, sponsored by Egypt and Qatar with the participation of Hamas, began Thursday to obtain “calm in the Gaza Strip” as well as an exchange of Palestinian prisoners and hostages, according to an Egyptian official.