what to remember from Saturday February 10

The international community is alarmed at the risks of an even greater “humanitarian catastrophe” in the Gaza Strip in the event of an Israeli offensive on Rafah.

The humanitarian situation, already dramatic, could get even worse. Several countries were alarmed by Israel’s stated desire to launch an offensive on the city of Rafah, the last refuge for more than 1.3 million Palestinians displaced by the conflict, on Saturday February 10. Fighting also continued in Khan Younes. Franceinfo summarizes the latest developments on the front of the war in Gaza.

Israeli strikes in Khan Younes and Rafah

Fighting is taking place in particular in the grounds of the Nasser hospital in Khan Younes, the largest in southern Gaza besieged by Israeli tanks, where there are still 300 staff members, 450 wounded and 10,000 displaced, according to the ministry. Witnesses reported continuous tank fire overnight and Saturday at the compound, as well as fire from sniper soldiers and drones. Early Saturday, witnesses told AFP of strikes in the vicinity of the city, which Israel designated as the new target of its military operation in the Palestinian enclave.

International community denounces Israeli offensive plans on Rafah

Germany has warned of “a predicted humanitarian catastrophe” in the event of an Israeli offensive on the town of Rafah. “Israel must defend itself against the terror of Hamas, but by alleviating the suffering of the civilian population as much as possible”highlighted on the German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, who recalls that this city in the south of the Gaza Strip is home to “1.3 million people [qui] seek protection from fighting in a very restricted space“.

Saudi Arabia, for its part, warned against “extremely dangerous repercussions” of such an offensive, and demanded “to urgently convene the Security Council” of ONU. Hamas has warned that an offensive on Rafah could “tens of thousands of dead and injured”.

Israel claims to have found Hamas tunnel under UNRWA headquarters

Israeli military and intelligence say they have discovered a “tunnel entrance” near a school run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which “led to an underground terrorist tunnel that was an important Hamas military intelligence asset and passed under the building that serves as UNRWA’s main headquarters in the Gaza Strip”. UNRWA denies any involvement, its manager emphasizing on that the team left this building on October 12, and demands a “independent investigation which is currently not possible given that Gaza is in an active war zone”.

Seventeen Houthi rebels killed in Yemen in US strikes

Seventeen Houthi rebels were killed in American strikes which targeted their positions in Yemen, official media of the insurgents said on Saturday. Since November, the Houthis have said they are targeting ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden that they believe are linked to Israel, “solidarity” with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Three dead in Israeli strikes in Syria

Israeli strikes targeted the area around the Syrian capital Damascus early Saturday, killing at least three people, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) said. The director of this NGO, based in the United Kingdom and with a vast network of sources in Syria, said that many other people had been injured during the strikes on a neighborhood housing “villas of soldiers and high-ranking officials”. The toll could get worse, added Rami Abdel Rahman, who was not able to specify whether the victims were soldiers or civilians.