The UN Secretary-General on Sunday called on Israel to “remove the last obstacles” to the entry of aid into the besieged Gaza Strip, which is in the grip of “famine”, after five and a half months of war between Israel and Hamas.
Meanwhile, Israeli bombing and fighting between Israel and Hamas rage in the Palestinian territory, while negotiations on a truce show no signs of progress despite increased pressure from the United States.
A total of 84 people were killed in these bombings in 24 hours, notably in Gaza City (north) and those of Khan Younes and Rafah (south), bringing the total Palestinian death toll to 32,226, the ministry announced on Sunday. of Hamas Health.
In this context, a new vote on a new draft resolution demanding an “immediate” ceasefire, prepared by eight of the ten non-permanent members of the Council, is planned for Monday at the UN.
“The houses collapsed above our heads,” Rafah resident Hassan Zanoun told AFP on Sunday, who was searching the shattered ruins of his neighborhood with other survivors.
“My children and I slept here. I was surprised, we hadn’t heard the sound of a rocket and suddenly everything broke loose above our heads. Strikes, screams,” he confided.
A “forced population transfer” would constitute a “war crime”
PHOTO SAMEER AL-DOUMY, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
French President Emmanuel Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron raised his voice on Sunday towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, once again marking “his firm opposition” to an Israeli offensive on Rafah and warning that “the forced transfer of the population constituted a war crime”.
During a telephone interview with the head of the Israeli government, the French leader also “strongly condemned recent Israeli announcements regarding colonization” while Israel announced on Friday the seizure of 800 hectares of land in the occupied West Bank.
He also informed Benjamin Netanyahu of his intention to bring a draft resolution to the UN Security Council to call for “an immediate and lasting ceasefire”.
The French president also insisted that Israel open “without delay and without conditions all existing land crossing points to the Gaza Strip”.
“Famine” and “death”
Visiting Egypt, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged Israel to “remove the last obstacles” to the entry of humanitarian aid, desperately awaited by the 2.4 million inhabitants of the Palestinian territory.
“When we look at Gaza, it almost seems as if the four horsemen of the Apocalypse are galloping above, sowing war, famine, conquest and death,” Mr. Guterres said on Sunday.
“On one side of the border, we see humanitarian trucks as far as the eye can see, on the other a humanitarian catastrophe which is getting worse every day,” he added.
The day before, he had called for an end to the “nightmare” experienced by the population and demanded “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” as well as the release of “all hostages” held in Gaza since the Hamas attack.
Israel has imposed a complete siege on Gaza since the start of the war and strictly controls aid arriving mainly through Rafah.
PHOTO MARK GARTEN, UNITED NATIONS, PROVIDED BY AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Antonio Guterres meets Palestinian children evacuated from the Gaza Strip at al-Arish General Hospital, Egypt.
The war broke out on October 7 when Hamas commandos infiltrated from the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented attack in southern Israel which left at least 1,160 dead, mainly civilians, according to an AFP count. based on official Israeli data.
According to Israel, around 250 people have been kidnapped and 130 of them are still hostages in Gaza, of whom 33 are believed to have died.
Hospitals under siege
Despite international pressure, the Israeli army announced on Sunday that it would continue its land and air operations in Khan Younes where it seeks to annihilate Hamas fighters, which it considers a terrorist organization, like the United States and the European Union.
Witnesses told AFP that dozens of armored vehicles and tanks carried out an incursion around 2 a.m., accompanied by airstrikes, into the center of the city and around the two major hospitals, Nasser and al- Amal.
The Palestinian Red Crescent indicated that these two hospitals were stormed by the Israeli army. According to the relief organization, military vehicles arrived on Sunday morning near the two establishments, against a backdrop of “intense” shooting and bombardment.
Asked by AFP, the army confirmed that its “troops operate throughout the al-Amal area,” but that they are not currently operating in hospitals.”
At the same time, Israeli forces have been carrying out a major operation since last Monday on the large al-Chifa hospital complex in Gaza City. A total of 170 fighters have been killed there, according to the army, which promises to stay there until it finds the last fighter.
In this part of the territory where the humanitarian situation is particularly catastrophic, the Hamas Ministry of Health affirmed that 21 Palestinians who were waiting for an aid convoy near Gaza City were killed on Saturday “by Israeli fire”. The army denied this.
Belal Hzilah said his nephew was among the dead. “He wanted to take flour and food. He has a two-month-old son and eleven people depend on him. They have nothing to eat […] He lost his life for nothing,” he told AFP.
“Deep differences”
PHOTO FATIMA SHBAIR, ASSOCIATED PRESS
A building collapsed in Rafah after being targeted by an Israeli strike.
After new talks in Qatar on a truce, the heads of the CIA, Bill Burns, and Mossad, David Barnea, left Doha on Saturday, according to a source close to the discussions.
These negotiations “focused on details and a ratio for the exchange of hostages and prisoners,” this source added.
Hamas said it was ready in mid-March for a six-week truce, with the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
But on Saturday, a leader of the Islamist movement reported “deep differences”. Israel “refuses to accept a complete ceasefire, it refuses a complete withdrawal of its forces from Gaza” and wants to keep the management of relief and humanitarian aid “under its control”, told AFP this manager.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is also expected in Washington on Sunday, at a time when the United States is increasing pressure on Israel to achieve a ceasefire accompanied by the release of hostages as well as the entry of increased humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Relatives of hostages gathered again on Saturday in front of the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv to demand increased efforts to free them. Scuffles broke out between demonstrators and police.