the Israeli army took control of the Palestinian part of the Rafah crossing point

These operations come before talks in Cairo, Egypt, on a proposed truce, to try to end the war sparked seven months ago by the Hamas attack on Israeli soil.

Israeli tanks entered Rafah on Tuesday, May 7, in the south of the Gaza Strip. This “targeted counterterrorism operation” In “specific areas”, in the words of Tel Aviv, comes a few hours before new talks in Cairo (Egypt) to try to influence a truce agreement between the Hebrew state and Hamas, in power in the enclave. It was preceded by intense nighttime bombardments on this city which, according to the UN, is home to 1.2 million Palestinians.

Ordered on Monday by the Israeli army to evacuate eastern Rafah, thousands of men, women and children, many already displaced by the war, fled in haste.

The Israeli army also announced that it had taken “operational control” of the Palestinian part of the crossing point with Egypt, which allows access for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. An armored unit “maneuvered in the area. Currently, special forces are inspecting the crossing point”the army said. “We had indications (…) that the Gazan part of the crossing point (…) was being used by Hamas for terrorist purposes,” she explained.

“Millions of people threatened with famine”

On Sunday, rockets fired by Hamas against the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza killed four Israeli soldiers, leading to the closure of this other crossing point to humanitarian aid. On Tuesday, the armed wing of Hamas announced that it had fired rockets again “on a gathering of troops” Israelis around Kerem Shalom.

On the diplomatic side, voices were raised on Tuesday to express their concerns about this operation on Rafah. “There must be a red line (…), the closure of the border [avec l’Egypte] threatens millions of people with starvation. It is very clear that international law is no longer respected in Gaza.” declared the Belgian Minister of Development Cooperation, Caroline Gennez. “It is important that we give Israel a correct and unanimous signal so that the violence stops (…) We must ensure that all the instruments at our disposal are on the table, including sanctions,” she warned, before a meeting with her counterparts from the Twenty-Seven in Brussels.