(Rafah) Every day its bombs and its deaths. And his apprehensions of an imminent escalation of the conflict. On Friday, when two Israeli hostages were released, people were still wondering at what point the IDF soldiers would see Gaza “from the inside”, as mentioned the day before by the Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant.
What there is to know
- Israel has still not begun its attack inside the Gaza Strip despite an announcement by the authorities of an imminent offensive.
- The Jewish state is strengthening its positions on the border with Lebanon following exchanges of fire with Hezbollah and must watch its back with Syria and Yemen.
- Hamas released two hostages of American origin, a mother and her daughter, for humanitarian reasons.
Despite the persistent fear of an escalation, the hostages held in the Palestinian enclave were entitled to 14e day of the conflict, to a rare glimmer of hope: a mother and her daughter were freed by Hamas.
Friday noon, Judith Tai Raanan and her daughter Natalie Shoshana, 17, were able to return to Israeli soil for humanitarian reasons following mediation led by Qatar, said the armed wing of Hamas. Originally from Evanston, a suburb of Chicago, they were handed over at the border and arrived in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in the evening.
ISRAELIAN GOVERNMENT PHOTO, PROVIDED BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Natalie Shoshana and Judith Tai Raanan after their release
They were transported to a military base in the center of the country where family members were waiting for them. This is the first release of hostages confirmed by both parties.
On October 7, during the Hamas attack, the two women were kidnapped while they were visiting kibbutz Nahal Oz to celebrate the end of Natalie’s studies and the 85e birthday of his grandmother, who survived the offensive.
Questioned by the BBC, Ben Raanan, Natalie’s half-brother, thanked the “people around the world who have put [s] has sister at the forefront of their thoughts and prayers.” Evanston Rabbi Meir Hecht said he was “full of gratitude.”
Quickly after the announcement of their release, reactions abounded. The President of the United States, Joe Biden, said he was “overjoyed” and the Red Cross saw this progress as a “ray of hope”. But this is an isolated gesture, and not a decision taken as part of a broader negotiation, we warned.
During its attack, Hamas took some 200 captives, including nationals from around twenty countries. The Israeli army, however, estimated that “the majority” of them were “alive”.
An eye on the northern border
Israel continues in the meantime to mass soldiers and equipment at the gates of Palestinian territory, but the country must also strengthen its presence on its northern border with Lebanon and ward off possible attacks from other neighboring states.
PHOTO RONALDO SCHEMIDT, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Israeli tank near Be’eri, kibbutz near Gaza
Because since the surprise Hamas offensive on October 7, signs of hostility towards the Jewish state have multiplied. In addition to Hezbollah missiles launched from southern Lebanon, three cruise missiles were launched Thursday from Yemen – more than 2,000 kilometers away – by the pro-Iranian Houthi rebels.
Should we fear a conflagration? Yes, but we are not there yet.
“There is a high risk. There’s no denying it, says Thomas Juneau, associate professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. But there are no guarantees either. It is very possible that Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen and, possibly, pro-Iran militias in Syria decide not to intervene on a large scale while issuing warnings with missiles, rockets and drones. I still believe they don’t want to get into a full-scale war. »
If there is a risk of expansion, it is more on the border with Lebanon, adds Raphael S. Cohen, senior political scientist at the Rand Corporation, reached in Washington.
On the border with Lebanon, the Israelis face a formidable opponent in Hezbollah. This group is close to Iran, has significant reserves of weapons and is made up of seasoned fighters.
Raphael S. Cohen, Rand Corporation political scientist
But the war risks prolonging, believes Mr. Cohen, in particular because the Israeli leaders aim to destroy Hamas.
“There are two major differences with previous conflicts,” he said. First, Israel does not want to deter or contain Hamas, but to destroy it. This is a radically different objective compared to previous conflicts. And also a larger objective that requires a larger military operation. Second, it is difficult to underestimate the impact of the October 7 attacks on Israeli society. The country has a population of 9.3 million, and an attack of this scale means that virtually everyone was directly affected. »
To doors from Gaza
If the IDF has still not entered Gaza, it is increasing its responses by air. An Israeli army spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said the military had bombed more than a hundred targets since Thursday night.
An Israeli missile is believed to have struck a school in central Gaza transformed into a shelter, killing at least six people, reports UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. The attack also left dozens injured in this shelter where some 4,000 people were crowded.
Why hasn’t the ground offensive happened yet? According to Thomas Juneau, several factors can explain why the IDF has not yet entered the territory of Gaza en masse.
“Are there negotiations on certain hostages, where we would try to free women, children and elderly people before returning? Maybe, he said. Another hypothesis circulating in Israeli media is that the country is making sure to fortify its defenses in the north before attacking Gaza. There is also a simple question of massing enough troops on the border with Gaza, of identifying the targets…”
Since the start of the war, Israeli losses have amounted to more than 1,400 people. In the Gaza Strip, Friday evening there were 4,137 dead and more than a million displaced.
Help humanitarian
PHOTO MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES, PROVIDED BY REUTERS
Satellite image showing a line of trucks massed at the border between Egypt and Gaza
At the same time, uncertainty still reigned late Friday over the delicate question of humanitarian aid to be provided to the hundreds of thousands of civilians living in Gaza. Trucks massed on the border with Egypt (Rafah) were still waiting to enter Palestinian territory. In France, President Emmanuel Macron announced that the country would send humanitarian aid to Gaza via Egypt while conveying a message of “moderation and de-escalation” “very directly” to Hezbollah on the Lebanese border.
Yemen missiles, interception American
PHOTO RYAN U. KLEDZIK, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
The U.S.S. Carneyphotographed in 2018, intercepted missiles coming from Yemen on Thursday.
A US Navy ship patrolling the northern Red Sea intercepted and shot down missiles and drones Thursday coming from Yemen. “We cannot certify what the targets of these missiles were, but they were launched from Yemen and were heading north,” said Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder.
Demonstrations in support of Palestine
PHOTO HOUTHI MEDIA CENTER, PROVIDED BY REUTERS
Demonstrations in support of Palestine in Sanaa, Yemen
On Friday, demonstrations in support of Palestine were seen across the Arab world. From Cairo to Baghdad, via Tunis, Beirut and Sanaa, in Yemen, tens of thousands of people took to the streets, after prayers, in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
“We support the Palestinian people against the occupying Israeli entity,” declared Ali Hussein, a 45-year-old taxi driver, in Baghdad.
With Bruno Marcotte, The Press, The New York Times, The Guardian,CNN, The Times of Israel, The world, The Voice of Lebanon, Agence France-Presse and the BBC