The head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken arrived in the Middle East on Wednesday for new discussions on a truce in the Gaza Strip, where famine threatens the Palestinian population after five and a half months of war between Israel and Hamas.
After Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia, Mr. Blinken will travel to Egypt on Thursday and then to Israel on Friday, at a time when the United States is stepping up its efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement and convince its ally to let in more humanitarian aid in the devastated and besieged Palestinian territory.
In addition to the heavy human toll of the war, the international community is concerned about the risks of imminent famine and a possible ground offensive on the overpopulated city of Rafah, in the South, announced by Israel.
Incessant Israeli bombardments have left 104 dead in 24 hours, the Hamas Health Ministry announced on Wednesday, including at least 30 in Gaza City.
New strikes targeted Rafah as well as the Nousseirat camp, in the center of the territory, where residents were searching the ruins on Wednesday, according to images from Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement, Ismaïl Haniyeh, accused Israel on Tuesday of “sabotageing” negotiations with the large-scale operation underway since Monday against the al-Chifa hospital in Gaza City, which houses thousands of civilians.
The army said Wednesday it had killed 90 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters so far in and around the hospital complex, and had arrested “more than 300 suspects.”
Mr. Blinken, who denounced on Tuesday the fact that the entire population of Gaza suffers from “severe food insecurity”, must discuss with his interlocutors the efforts made to reach “an immediate ceasefire agreement ensuring the release of all hostages,” according to the State Department.
“Intensifying international efforts to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza and post-conflict coordination” are also on the agenda.
During this sixth tour to the Middle East since the start of the war on October 7, Mr. Blinken should notably meet the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
A stage has been added in Israel, the State Department announced Wednesday, in the midst of a period of tension between Washington and its ally over the conduct of the war.
Concerns for Rafah
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is due to visit Washington soon, at a time when the United States is urging Israel to avoid a major ground offensive on Rafah, where nearly a million and a half Palestinians are massed, according to the UN, the majority displaced by the war.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also announced the sending of a delegation to Washington “at the request of American President Joe Biden” to discuss this possible operation.
Benjamin Netanyahu says this offensive is necessary to defeat Hamas, in power in Gaza since 2007.
But for the United States, an offensive on Rafah “would lead to more innocent victims, worsen the already serious humanitarian situation, reinforce anarchy in Gaza and further isolate Israel” on the international stage.
Discussions continue meanwhile in Qatar between “technical teams”, according to a source close to these negotiations, to try to reach a truce associated with the release of hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The war broke out on October 7 when Hamas commandos infiltrated from Gaza carried out an unprecedented attack in southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of at least 1,160 people, most of them civilians, according to a government count. AFP established from official Israeli sources.
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.
In retaliation, Israel promised to annihilate Hamas, which it considers a terrorist organization, along with the United States and the European Union. Its army launched an offensive that has so far left 31,923 people dead in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Hamas’ health ministry.
“Catastrophic” food situation
More than 1.1 million people in Gaza, around half the population, are living in a “catastrophic” food situation, particularly in the north where famine will rage within the month, according to UN agencies. of May in the absence of “urgent” measures.
AFP footage showed a crowd of Palestinians jostling to try to receive a bag of flour in Gaza City. A few kilometers away, in Jabaliya, others crowded behind a closed gate hoping to receive a plate of carrot soup.
In Rafah, torrential rains flooded displaced people’s camps on Tuesday, adding to the distress of the population.
“We no longer differentiate between rain, thunder and bombings. The children were screaming in fear. We were overwhelmed by rainwater,” Oum Abdoullah Alwan, a woman living in a tent with 14 members of her family, told AFP.
Israel’s severe restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the possible use of hunger as a weapon could “constitute a war crime”, the UN said on Tuesday.
Since the start of the war, Israel has imposed a complete siege on the Gaza Strip and inspects all aid, which is coming in in very short supply, mainly through Rafah from Egypt.
Faced with the humanitarian emergency, several countries are organizing daily airdrops and have opened a maritime corridor from Cyprus, from where a second boat loaded with aid is due to leave soon, but all stress that these supply routes cannot replace the land routes.