Saudi Arabia announced, Wednesday March 20, a donation of 40 million dollars (nearly 37 million euros) to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) with which Israel is at loggerheads. The funds will support “UNRWA humanitarian aid efforts in the Gaza Strip”providing “food for more than 250,000 people and tents for 20,000 families”, according to a statement from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center. Follow our live stream.
Hamas considers Israel’s response to its truce proposal “overall negative”. “The mediators [au Qatar] sent us the position on Tuesday evening. of Israel vis-à-vis the Hamas proposal, “which is generally negative and does not meet the aspirations of our people”, said Wednesday an official of the Palestinian Islamist movement in Beirut, Osama Hamdane. However, he did not provide details on the content of the Israeli response.
The Israeli Defense Minister will visit the United States next week. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will travel to Washington next week, the Israeli government announced on Wednesday, pressed by the United States to avoid a generalized assault in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Prime Minister’s office announced Tuesday the sending of a delegation “at the request of US President Joe Biden” to discuss this possible military operation.
Hamas leader accuses Israel of “sabotaging” negotiations. Ismaïl Haniyeh estimated Tuesday that Israel “sabotage” negotiations for a truce with its military operation against the al-Chifa hospital in Gaza. The action of Israeli forces “in the al-Chifa medical complex confirms their desire to prevent any resumption of decent life in Gaza and to dismantle essential infrastructure”he said in a press release.