Joe Biden wants to believe it. The American president affirmed on Monday February 26 that Israel would cease its military operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip during Ramadan. “Ramadan is coming and there was an agreement by the Israelis that they would not engage in operations during Ramadan, to give us time to get all the hostages out.” detained by the Palestinian Islamist movement, he declared in an interview with the American channel NBC. The month of Ramadan should begin around March 10. The mediating countries, Qatar, Egypt and the United States, are trying to negotiate a compromise with Israel and Hamas with a view to a truce. Follow our live stream.
A truce hoped for “by next Monday”. Earlier Monday evening, the US president said he had “hope” for a ceasefire to take place in Gaza “by next Monday”. “My national security advisor tells me we are close, it’s not done yet”does he have declared to the press during a trip to New York.
The offensive on Rafah is being prepared. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed on Sunday that Israel would soon launch a ground operation against Rafah, allowing, according to him, a “total victory” on Hamas in “a few weeks”. A truce, if concluded, would only “to delay” this offensive, he stressed.
Humanitarian aid dropped by Jordan. Jordan’s military said Monday it had carried out a series of airdrops of humanitarian aid, food and other supplies “directly to the population” Palestinians from the besieged Gaza Strip, including one by a French army plane. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed this operation, adding that “2.2 tonnes of food parcels and hygiene kits” had been dropped by the French plane “in specific containers equipped with parachutes”.
Visit of the Emir of Qatar to Paris. In this context, Tamim ben Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, a country at the center of negotiation efforts and which hosts Hamas, begins a two-day state visit to Paris on Tuesday, the French presidency announced. A dinner is to take place this evening at the Elysée, to deepen the bilateral relationship between the two countries, particularly in the economic, defense and security fields. Certain personalities are expected, such as Kylian Mbappé, the president of the French Football Federation, Philippe Diallo, or even that of the Professional Football League, Vincent Labrune.