Half a million people, almost a quarter of the population of the Gaza Strip, are facing starvation, according to a report from the UN hunger monitoring system released on Thursday (December 21). By February 7, all 2.4 million inhabitants risk finding themselves in the same situation. “We have been warning for weeks that with such deprivation and destruction, each passing day will only bring more hunger, disease and despair to the people of Gaza,” reacted on the head of UN humanitarian operations, Martin Griffiths. Follow our live stream.
The UN Security Council postpones the vote again. The 15 members of the body still failed, Thursday, to agree on a resolution that would not be blocked by a veto from the United States. Discussions notably stalled on the control of humanitarian convoys. It was initially to be entrusted to the UN alone, but Israel, which fears the entry of weapons into Gaza, wants to maintain its supervisory power over the aid trucks. The Security Council vote, initially scheduled for Monday, is now expected on Friday.
Bombings continue in Gaza. The Israeli army claims to have killed “more than 2,000” terrorists in the Gaza Strip since December 1. On Thursday, it intensely bombarded the territory, with 230 strikes in 24 hours, mainly concentrated on the south of the enclave. Early Friday, an Israeli strike killed five people in Rafah, says the Gaza Ministry of Health.
Negotiations for a new truce. Diplomatic efforts continue on several fronts to try to achieve a new humanitarian pause, as well as the release of hostages still held in the Gaza Strip. The head of Hamas’s political branch, Ismaïl Haniyeh, is in Cairo for talks with the Egyptian mediator. Ziad al-Nakhala, the leader of Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian movement allied with Hamas, is expected to go there in the coming days. Israel dialogues with Qatar and the United States, two other mediators.