Three Israelis missing since the attack by Hamas on October 7 are being held hostage in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army announced Thursday, January 4. “Their families have been informed”said IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari. This announcement brings to 132 the number of people still held hostage in Gaza since October 7, according to figures from the Israeli authorities. This live is now over.
The concern of the UN. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said, “very worried” after comments from senior Israeli officials calling on Palestinians to leave Gaza. “International law prohibits the forcible transfer of protected persons within an occupied territory or their expulsion from this territory”he commented.
Washington and Paris call to “avoid escalation in Lebanon and Iran”. Foreign Minister Catherine Colonnan spoke with her counterpart Antony Blinken. They mentioned “the importance of measures to prevent the conflict in Gaza from spreading, including measures to reduce tension in the West Bank and avoid escalation in Lebanon and Iran”according to the US State Department.
Hamas releases new assessment. Lhe Palestinian Hamas health ministry says Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have killed 22,438 people since the war began on October 7. Franceinfo explained in November how Hamas figures were established. Although they are criticized by some, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights considers them to be “a reasonably accurate reflection of the situation”.
The head of American diplomacy in Israel at the end of the week. Antony Blinken, the American Secretary of State, begins a new diplomatic shuttle in the Middle East on Thursday evening with a stop planned in Israel. This is his fourth trip to the region since the start of the war.