The war between Israel and Palestinian Hamas entered its 200th anniversary on Tuesdaye day without any sign of respite despite pressing calls for the release of the hostages, at a time when fears of an Israeli offensive on the town of Rafah are intensifying.
In the last 24 hours, Israeli bombings have resulted in the deaths of 32 Palestinians, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health, bringing the total toll to 34,183 deaths, mainly civilians, according to the same source.
According to an AFP correspondent, the Israeli army carried out intense artillery fire during the night from Monday to Tuesday. Airstrikes targeted central Gaza, near the Boureij refugee camp, while artillery fire hit the Nousseirat camp.
The army said it had struck several positions of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in the south of the besieged territory. During the night, its planes targeted “around 25 targets” including military observation posts.
The war between Israel and Hamas was triggered by a bloody and unprecedented attack by Hamas on October 7 on Israeli soil, resulting in the death of 1,170 people, mainly civilians, according to an AFP report based on data Israeli officials.
More than 250 people have been kidnapped and 129 remain captive in Gaza, 34 of whom have died according to Israeli officials. Around a hundred were released during a truce at the end of November.
Assuming “his responsibility” in the failure to prevent the October 7 attack, the head of Israeli military intelligence, General Aharon Haliva, announced his resignation on Monday.
“Pain” of Passover
On Tuesday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for the release of the hostages in a message published on X. “For 200 days, the world stopped for their families […] “, she wrote. “Until the hostages are released, we will not let go. Only when they return home will peace have a chance.”
Monday evening, the traditional Seder meal, which marks the start of the Jewish Passover, was overshadowed by the absence of the hostages. The families had asked to leave a chair empty, symbolizing the hope of a return of the captives.
Protesters set up a huge table with empty chairs and plates on Monday evening in front of the Israeli Prime Minister’s home in north Tel Aviv. They also set fire to another table.
“I cannot imagine celebrating Passover, the holiday of freedom, without my son (Shtivi, Editor’s note),” said Dalit Shtivi, quoted in a press release from the forum of families of hostages and the missing.
“It’s so difficult. I can’t explain the pain…I’m begging for an agreement and for him to be back tonight, and to celebrate with us…freedom and the holiday of Passover,” she said. added.
Mr. Netanyahu, who faces increasing pressure to obtain the release of the hostages, assured Monday that his “determination” to see all the hostages reunited with their families remained “unshakeable”
Offensive in Rafah?
On the ground, the war knows no respite. Monday was another day of horror with the discovery of around 200 bodies in mass graves inside the Nasser hospital in Khan Younes.
Like other hospital complexes in Gaza, it had previously been the subject of a raid by the Israeli army.
A spokesperson for the Gaza Civil Defense told AFP that several of the bodies found were decomposed, making the process of identifying victims even more complex. Asked by AFP, the Israeli army did not react.
In addition to the destruction and the human toll, the approximately 2.4 million inhabitants of this territory, where Hamas took power in 2007, are threatened with famine according to the UN, which urges the entry of more humanitarian aid in this small territory.
But Mr. Netanyahu pledged to continue his offensive on Rafah, the border town with Egypt where more than a million and a half people, mainly displaced people, have taken refuge. This city is the last great bastion of Hamas, he has been saying for weeks.
According to Egyptian officials, cited by the American newspaper Wall Street JournalIsrael is preparing to move civilians from Rafah to Khan Younes, in particular, where it plans to set up shelters, food distribution centers and medical facilities.
This evacuation operation would last two to three weeks and would be carried out in coordination with the United States, Egypt and other Arab countries such as the United Arab Emirates, according to these Egyptian officials. They added that Israel planned to gradually send troops to Rafah.
American aid
The G7, including the American ally, has already condemned this operation, fearing a bloodbath.
Also on Tuesday, the US Senate must vote on an aid program for its allies, including Israel, which should arrive on President Joe Biden’s desk for approval by the end of the week. In total, it provides $13 billion for Israel in its war against Hamas and more than $9 billion for humanitarian aid to Gaza.
For Hamas, Washington gave Israel the “green light” to continue “aggressing” the Palestinians.
The United States insists on the need for an immediate ceasefire associated with the release of the hostages. But the negotiations carried out through the mediating countries have stalled, with both camps accusing each other of blocking them.