Egypt warns of the possible effects of an Israeli offensive in the town of Rafah, in the far south of the Gaza Strip. “Any military action in the current circumstances would have catastrophic repercussions that would compromise peace in the region”declared Sameh Choukri, the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tuesday February 27, calling for an immediate ceasefire. “The world is witnessing the most heinous crimes and violations against the Palestinian people”, added the head of Egyptian diplomacy before the UN Human Rights Council. Follow our live stream.
THE Hezbollah targets Israeli base. Hezbollah announced on Tuesday that it had launched, for the second consecutive day, a new salvo of rockets against the Israeli military air control base of Meron, in response to Israeli air strikes the day before on eastern Lebanon. Israel assured Monday that it had targeted Hezbollah positions in Baalbeck, for the first time since the start of the war in Gaza, killing two fighters.
A truce is planned during Ramadan. Joe Biden said Monday that Israel would cease its military operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip during Ramadan, which is scheduled to begin around March 10. “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.”he declared on the NBC channel
The offensive on Rafah is being prepared. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed on Sunday that the Jewish state 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.
The Emir of Qatar is visiting Paris. In this context, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, the country which acts as mediator in the negotiations, begins a two-day state visit to France. A dinner is organized on Tuesday at the Elysée. Certain personalities are expected, like Kylian Mbappé.