Is the release of hostages held by Hamas coming soon? “We are now very relatives” by agreement, declared Joe Biden, Tuesday November 21, from the White House. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reported earlier today that “progress” in negotiations with the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on the release of hostages held in Gaza. “I don’t think it’s useful to say too much (…) but I hope there will be good news soon.”he declared on a military base in the north of the country, while discussions are underway under the mediation of Egypt, the United States and Qatar. Follow the situation in our live stream.
The BRICS call for “an immediate and lasting humanitarian truce” in Gaza. During the virtual meeting, broadcast by the South African presidency and attended by Vladimir Putin, the leaders “reiterated [leur] “strong support for regional and international efforts aimed at achieving an immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians and the provision of humanitarian assistance”.
Two of the premature babies who had to be evacuated died, according to the WHO. The 33 infants in al-Chifa were scheduled to be evacuated from the Gaza Strip’s largest hospital on Sunday. “Unfortunately, (…) two of these premature babies died that night due to lack of care”, declared a WHO spokesperson during a regular press briefing in Geneva. Twenty-eight others arrived in Egypt on Monday through the Rafah crossing, the only exit from Gaza to the outside that is not controlled by Israel.
The Red Cross does not participate in the negotiations, but ensures the well-being of the hostages. The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric, met on Monday evening with leaders of Qatar as well as the leader of Hamas, based in the Gulf emirate, to“advance on humanitarian issues linked to the armed conflict in Israel and Gaza”. Although the ICRC assured that it would not participate in these talks, it insisted that its “teams be allowed to visit the hostages to ensure their well-being and to administer medication, and so that the hostages are able to communicate with their families”.