Common will. The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim ben Hamad al-Thani, visiting Paris, and French President Emmanuel Macron once again shared, during a dinner at the Elysée on Tuesday February 27, their hope of arriving “very quickly to a ceasefire” in the conflict which has pitted Israel against Hamas since October 7. The release of the hostages is a “priority” absolute for Paris, recalled Emmanuel Macron. The Emir of Qatar, whose country is home to Hamas leaders, for his part denounced a “genocide of the Palestinian people”with some “forced displacements” and “wild bombings”. Follow our live stream.
Hope for a truce. The United States and Qatar, engaged with Egypt in mediation between Israel and Hamas, hope to obtain a truce before the start of Ramadan, which begins around March 10 or 11, allowing the release of part of the 130 hostages held in the territory. “We would of course be happy to achieve this by the end of the week”assured Tuesday the spokesperson for American diplomacy, Matthew Miller, “We’re trying to get this deal across the finish line, and we think it’s possible.”
An “almost inevitable” famine in Gaza. The UN was alarmed Tuesday by a “widespread famine almost inevitable” in the Gaza Strip. “If nothing changes, famine is imminent in northern Gaza”, Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the World Food Program (WFP), told the UN Security Council. No convoy has been able to reach northern Gaza since January 23, according to the UN, which denounces the obstructions of the Israeli authorities.
Lula denounces a “genocide”. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose country is hosting a meeting of G20 finance ministers starting Wednesday dominated by the conflicts in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, also reaffirmed Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered to a “genocide against women and children” Palestinians.