On the 13th day of a deadly war, humanitarian aid long awaited by Palestinians stranded in the Gaza Strip is expected to begin arriving there on Friday.
While the Israeli army continues to shell the Gaza Strip, in response to the unprecedented attack carried out on October 7 on Israeli soil by Hamas, intense diplomatic activity continues to try to end the conflict. Visiting Tel Aviv on Wednesday, the president obtained the green light from Israel for the passage of humanitarian aid via Egypt. Trucks are waiting at the border and could begin entering the Gaza Strip on Friday. On the war front, the Israeli army said it had carried out hundreds of airstrikes in 24 hours. Here’s what to remember from Thursday, October 19.
Humanitarian aid expected Friday
D Humanitarian aid trucks have been parked for several days at the Rafah crossing point, between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. The American and Egyptian presidents “agreed on the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing, in a sustainable manner”, Cairo reported on Thursday. This aid will probably not arrive before Friday due to work to be done on the road, destroyed by Israeli bombing.
Joe Biden claimed to have obtained from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi “let up to 20 trucks cross”a totally insufficient number according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Cargo planes full of aid, including food and medicine, also arrived at Egypt’s Al-Arich airport on Thursday. In Cairo, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres pleaded for “rapid and barrier-free humanitarian access”calling for a “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”. “We need food, water, fuel and medicine right away”he added.
Entire neighborhoods have been razed and left without water, food or electricity, and more than a million people have been displaced after the siege imposed by Israel on October 9 on the Gaza Strip.
Hundreds of Israeli airstrikes carried out in 24 hours
On Thursday, the Israeli army indicated that it had carried out hundreds of airstrikes in 24 hours, targeting, according to it, Hamas infrastructure. In Khan Younes, eight children from the same family died in nighttime bombings. The Hamas government’s Interior Ministry also reported deaths and injuries among displaced people sheltering in the grounds of a church in Gaza, hit by an Israeli raid.
Israeli retaliatory strikes killed at least 3,785 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to a count Thursday by the Hamas Health Ministry, which recorded at least 1,524 child deaths.
The toll surrounding the deadly explosion at the al-hospital Ahli continues to be debated. According to the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian territory, this shot, attributed by Hamas to Israel, leaves at least 471 dead. “Where are all the bodies?”, questioned an Israeli army spokesperson, disputing the number put forward by Hamas. Israel claimed to have “evidence” of the responsibility of Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian movement, in the strike on the hospital.
The toll of French victims increased to 28 dead
The toll of French victims killed in Hamas attacks against Israel has risen further with a total of 28 dead, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday. “France deplores the tragic deaths of new French nationals, bringing the toll of French victims to 28”, declared Anne-Claire Legendre. She clarified that “seven compatriots are still missing”, some of whom are hostages of Hamas.
Asked about the number of hostages, the spokesperson refused to comment, for their safety and “out of respect for the families”.
The Israeli army said Thursday that at least 203 hostages were being held by Hamas, Israelis, foreigners and dual nationals. Hamas, for its part, claimed Monday evening “200 to 250 hostages” and reports 22 hostages killed in Israeli army air raids since the start of the response.
Ban on pro-Palestinian demonstration in Paris suspended
The Paris administrative court has suspended the prefectural ban on a pro-Palestinian demonstration, already underway on the Place de la République in Paris. “Respect for freedom of demonstration and freedom of expression, which have the character of fundamental freedoms (…) must be reconciled with the constitutional requirement to safeguard public order,” the court said. Gold, “it does not follow from the instruction, and in particular from the note from the specialized services established for the present demonstration, that the planned gathering would present a particular risk of violence, against other groups or the forces of order”he argues.
This decision comes as the Council of State rebutted, on Wednesday, the telegram from the Minister of the Interior, who called for a systematic ban on these gatherings. The institution estimated that pro-Palestinian demonstrations could not be systematically banned and that it was up to the prefects alone to assess, “case by case”if there was a local risk of disturbances to public order.
Emmanuel Macron points to a risk of “division” in France with an importation of the conflict
While Gérald Darmanin has been making shocking declarations at a frantic pace since the attack on October 7, the risk of division with an importation of the war between Hamas and Israel is on everyone’s lips. “We are a country, if we manage this situation poorly, it could be an element of division”Emmanuel Macron admitted to AFP on Thursday. “We have the largest Jewish community (…) in Europe, we have a lot of young people who are of origin from the Middle East, the Maghreb or Africa. We also have a lot of young people who are of Muslim faith”noted the head of state.