Wounded Palestinians and foreign or dual nationals were evacuated from the Gaza Strip for the first time since the start of the war, and all indications are that Canadians will follow in the coming days. Like the day before, Israel struck the Jabaliya refugee camp, leading the UN to suggest that these attacks “could be war crimes”.
What there is to know
For the first time since the start of the war, injured Palestinians and foreigners were able to be evacuated from Gaza.
Ottawa believes Canadians will follow in the coming days.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights suggests that Israel’s attacks on the Jabaliya refugee camp – where 116,000 refugees are crowded in northern Gaza – “could be war crimes”.
“We are hopeful that, in the days to come, Canadians [coincés dans la bande de Gaza] can also be evacuated,” declared Wednesday Rob Oliphant, parliamentary secretary to Mélanie Joly, the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Affaires mondiales Canada s’est dit au fait d’informations voulant qu’un citoyen canadien « aurait traversé la frontière de Rafah avec un tiers », mais refuse d’en dire davantage pour des raisons de confidentialité.
Au total, environ 400 Canadiens seraient encore dans la bande de Gaza. « Nous travaillons de très près avec Israël, l’Égypte, le Qatar et avec d’autres pays pour nous assurer que les Canadiens puissent sortir », a ajouté M. Oliphant.
PHOTO IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA, REUTERS
Des travailleurs médicaux attendent de pouvoir entrer dans la bande de Gaza à partir de l’Égypte pour y récupérer des blessés, au poste-frontière de Rafah.
Différents chiffres ont circulé mercredi quant au nombre de personnes évacuées. Les autorités égyptiennes ont parlé de 76 blessés palestiniens et de 335 étrangers et binationaux. Durant cette première phase d’évacuation, avance-t-on, 88 blessés et 500 étrangers pourront sortir de Gaza ces jours-ci.
Le secrétaire général de l’ONU, António Guterres, s’est dit « atterré » mercredi par les bombardements sur le camp très densément peuplé de Jabaliya où les attaques de mercredi auraient fait, selon le bilan palestinien, non vérifiable, quelques dizaines de morts.
PHOTO SAMAR ABU ELOUF, THE NEW YORK TIMES
Des personnes attendent de passer en Égypte à partir du poste-frontière de Rafah.
« De jeunes enfants sont arrivés à l’hôpital avec des blessures profondes et de graves brûlures. Nombreux parmi eux étaient seuls, séparés de leur famille. Beaucoup criaient et réclamaient leurs parents », a témoigné Mohammed Hawajreh, infirmier de Médecins sans frontières, sur X.
De possibles crimes de guerre, selon l’ONU
Le Haut-Commissariat aux droits de l’homme de l’ONU a déclaré mercredi que « compte tenu du nombre élevé de victimes civiles et de l’ampleur des destructions consécutives aux frappes aériennes israéliennes sur le camp de réfugiés de Jabaliya, nous craignons sérieusement qu’il s’agisse d’attaques disproportionnées qui pourraient être des crimes de guerre ».
PHOTO ABED KHALED, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Scène de destruction au camp de réfugiés de Jabaliya, frappé de nouveau mercredi par l’armée israélienne
Israël a dit mardi avoir visé un commandant du Hamas, Ibrahim Biari, qu’il considère comme l’un des principaux responsables du massacre du 7 octobre.
Il reviendra à la Cour pénale internationale d’en décider. De façon générale, elle considère comme un crime de guerre le fait de « lancer une attaque délibérée en sachant qu’elle causera […] widespread, lasting and serious damage to the natural environment which would be manifestly excessive in relation to the overall concrete and direct military advantage expected.”
PHOTO ABED KHALED, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Palestinian girl pulled from rubble at Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip
In war, military attacks can be launched even with the knowledge that civilians may be harmed. But if these attacks are disproportionate or deliberately directed against the population, they can be considered a war crime.
Washington criticized by former senior official
On Radio-Canada on Tuesday, Josh Paul, who resigned two weeks ago from his post as director of the military office of the US State Department, said he could no longer accept the abandonment of “the usual guidelines » during “arms transfers to a country”.
“In all my years at the State Department [11 ans de carrière], it has never been our objective to provide lethal weapons to a country knowing that they would be used to massively kill populations. »
Until now, the rule was that “if there was a greater chance that the use of U.S. weapons would lead to human rights violations, then the transfer would not be authorized.” In the conflict between Israel and Hamas, there is a violation of human rights, but this policy has been set aside.”
Although other trucks carrying essential goods continued to enter, the situation is dramatic in hospitals. Mohammed Abu Selmeya, the director of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, the largest in the territory, launched a “final appeal regarding the shutdown of the main generator” due to lack of fuel. “If this generator stops, the next announcement will be the deaths of babies in incubators, the deaths of patients on ventilators, the deaths of patients in intensive care and operating rooms. »
A Turkish-funded cancer hospital in Gaza is now out of service due to lack of fuel and damage from airstrikes, according to the World Health Organization.
Violence “ destabilizing » of Israel in the West Bank
Washington said on Wednesday that violence committed by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank was “incredibly destabilizing”.
PHOTO MOSAB SHAWER, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Palestinians demonstrate Wednesday in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank
The State Department urged Israel to stem the violence. “We have sent them a very clear message: This is unacceptable, this must stop and those responsible must be held accountable,” said Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesman.
Since October 7, 125 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank by fire from Israeli soldiers or settlers, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, a toll that it has not been possible to independently verify.
16 young Israeli soldiers You are Tuesday
Israel also announced that 16 soldiers had been killed on Tuesday. Their names and photos were published. They were mostly 20 or 21 years old, the oldest being 24 years old.
Yoav Gallant, Israel’s Defense Minister, regretted the heavy losses, but said Israel was prepared for a long and complex operation.
Hamas has the choice between “dying or surrendering unconditionally,” he said.
With Mélanie Marquis, The Pressand Agence France-Presse