what to remember from Monday February 26

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said an offensive in Rafah would be “terrifying for more than a million Palestinian civilians sheltering there” and would “sound the death knell” for aid programs. UN in the Gaza Strip.

Humanitarian aid programs for the Gaza Strip risk ending in the event of an Israeli offensive in Rafah, in the south of the Palestinian enclave, warned UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday February 26. At the same time, the Hamas Ministry of Health announced on Monday a new toll of 29,782 people killed in the Gaza Strip, almost five months after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, in retaliation for the October 7 attacks. . Here’s what to remember from Monday.

An offensive in Rafah “would sound the death knell for our aid programs”, warns the UN

For Antonio Guterres, an Israeli offensive in the city of Rafah, where 1.4 million people are refugees, “would not only be terrifying for the more than a million Palestinian civilians sheltering there; it would also spell the end of our aid programs.” Rafah, close to the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, is in fact the only remaining entry point for humanitarian aid “totally insufficient”insisted the UN Secretary General.

Israel wishes to soon launch an offensive in this city, considered by the authorities as the “last bastion” Hamas in the Gaza Strip. “Total victory is within our reach, not within a few months, but within a few weeks, when we begin the operation” military in Rafah, Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sundayduring an interview with CBS.

Israeli army presents Rafah evacuation plan

In view of this offensive, the Israeli army “presented to the war cabinet a plan for the evacuation of populations from combat zones in the Gaza Strip, as well as the plan for future operations”, announced Monday the Office of Benyamin Netanyahu in a press release. The Prime Minister declared Sunday that there was “room” for civilians “north of Rafah, in the areas where we finished the fight”.

No details were provided on the modalities of an evacuation or on the possible locations for relocation. NGOs point out that no area of ​​the Gaza Strip is safe for the displaced, not to mention the lack of access to humanitarian aid throughout the Palestinian enclave.

According to two NGOs, Israel is blocking aid to Gaza even more than before

On Monday, two NGOs accused Israel of continuing to limit humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, despite the request of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to do everything to prevent genocide in the besieged territory.

According to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, the number of humanitarian aid trucks entering Gaza has fallen by around a third since the court’s ruling. “The Israeli government is starving the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, putting them in even greater danger than before the Court’s binding ruling”Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch director for Israel and the Palestinian territories, said Monday.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) also said there had been a “50% discount” of humanitarian aid entering Gaza in February, compared to January. “Aid was supposed to increase, not decrease, to meet the enormous needs of two million Palestinians living in desperate conditions”insisted the head of Unrwa, Philippe Lazzarini, on X.

Jordan drops humanitarian aid ‘directly to the population’ of Gaza

Jordan’s military said Monday it had carried out a series of airdrops of humanitarian aid, food and other supplies “directly to the population” Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, including one by a French army plane. Jordanian forces carried out “four airdrops carrying aid to the people of Gaza”, following the order of King Abdullah II of Jordan, according to a press release. It’s about “relief and food supplies, including ready-to-eat meals of high nutritional value, to alleviate the suffering of the population” in the Palestinian enclave.

Since the start of hostilities on October 7, Jordan has carried out sixteen operations to drop humanitarian and medical aid in Gaza, intended among others for a Jordanian field hospital in the north of the Palestinian territory.

Palestinian government resigns

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas accepted the government’s resignation, announced earlier on Monday, at a time when behind-the-scenes negotiations intensify to reform the Palestinian political leadership in the “post-war” framework. in Gaza.

“I presented the resignation of the government to Mr. President on February 20 and I am submitting it today in writing”declared Monday morning Mohammed Shtayyeh, head of government since spring 2019. In the evening, Mahmoud Abbas published a decree “accepting this resignation”, while mandating Mohammed Shtayyeh and his ministers “to remain in office temporarily until a new government is formed”.

According to Mohammed Shtayyeh, this resignation comes “in the light of developments linked to the aggression against Gaza”, and to “climbing” violence in the occupied West Bank since October 7.

Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in eastern Lebanon

On Monday, Israeli strikes targeted Hezbollah targets in eastern Lebanon for the first time since the start of the war, killing two fighters from the pro-Iranian movement. The Israeli military said its fighter jets had “targeted Hezbollah air defense sites in the Bekaa Plain.” “These strikes were carried out in retaliation for a surface-to-air missile attack against a Hermes-450 drone which was damaged earlier in the day”she added.

Hezbollah announced that it had fired 60 rockets in retaliation at an Israeli military base in the occupied Golan Heights.