Israel is expanding its operations in the Gaza Strip, while more than 30 babies have been evacuated from al-Chifa hospital.
There war between Israel and Hamas entered its 44th day on Sunday, November 19. The Israeli army notably claimed to have discovered a 55 meter long tunnel which is located in the area of the al-Chifa hospital, the largest in the Gaza Strip. Franceinfo takes stock of the information to remember from the day.
Around thirty premature babies evacuated from al-Chifa hospital
The 31 premature babies who were in al-Chifa were transferred on Sunday to the Emirates Hospital, based in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip. They will receive “urgent care in the neonatal intensive care unit”declared the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on X (ex-Twitter). “Preparations are underway to evacuate them to Egypt”assured AFP Mohammed Zaqout, general director of hospitals in the Palestinian territory.
“More missions are planned to transport remaining patients and caregivers from al-Chifa”, affirmed the WHO. According to the organization, whose experts spent an hour in the huge hospital complex on Saturday, it still housed 25 caregivers and 291 patients unable to move without medical assistance.
Israeli army releases videos it claims show hostages at al-Chifa hospital
The Israeli army released images on Sunday evening purporting to come from the hospital’s surveillance cameras. These images show, according to the forces of the Jewish state, hostages brought into the premises of the establishment on October 7. “These findings prove that the Hamas terrorist organization used the al-Shifa hospital complex as a terrorist infrastructure on the day of the massacre”the Israeli army and intelligence said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli military said it had discovered a 55-meter-long tunnel ten meters deep in the hospital area containing weapons, including “grenade launchers, explosives and Kalashnikov rifles”. The soldiers continue to progress underground, according to her.
Qatar cites ‘very minor’ obstacles before hostage deal
Reaching an agreement on the release of hostages kidnapped during the Hamas attack now rests on practical questions “minors”affirmed the Qatari Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abderrahmane Al Thani, without providing a timetable.
US President Joe Biden’s deputy national security adviser, Jon Finer, told NBC News that the deal was “closer than ever” and that it included the release of “Several dozens” hostages in exchange for “extended extended period of break, several days” in the fights.
France will “evacuate” “injured or sick children” from the Gaza Strip
France will mobilize “all means at his disposal” For “contribute to evacuating injured or sick children from the Gaza Strip to its hospitals who need urgent care,” announced the Elysée on Sunday in a press release. “Medical air assets, both civilian and military, will be deployed for this purpose”, specifies the Elysée. In this press release, the Elysée also announces “a new charter of a plane carrying more than 10 tonnes of medical cargo for the start of the week”.
France is also preparing to send “in the coming days” the Dixmude helicopter carrier. It will be configured to offer “hospital support” in Gaza, will set sail “Start of the week” And “will arrive in Egypt in the coming days”specified the French presidency.
Emmanuel Macron questioned Benjamin Netanyahu on the “too many civilian losses” in the Gaza Strip
Emmanuel Macron questioned Benyamin Netanyahu on the “too many civilian casualties” in the Gaza Strip. The head of state reminded the Israeli Prime Minister of the “absolute need to distinguish terrorists from the population”announced the Elysée on Sunday evening in a press release.
The French president also spoke with the president of the Palestinian Authority. With Mahmoud Abbas, he “condemned the violence” committed “against Palestinian civilians” in the West Bank, said the French presidency. At least two Palestinians were killed on Sunday by the Israeli army during nighttime incursions into at least five towns and refugee camps in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Hamas puts forward a new death toll of 13,000 since October 7
According to the latest report from the Hamas government, 13,000 people have been killed in Israeli bombardments on the Gaza Strip since the start of the war, including more than 5,500 children and 3,500 women. No source allows substantiated verification of this new assessment, announced by a structure considered a terrorist organization by the European Union, Israel and the United States.
On the Israeli side, the Hamas attack left 1,200 dead, mainly civilians killed on October 7, according to the authorities. Five Israeli soldiers were killed in the Gaza Strip, the army announced on Sunday, bringing to 64 the number of soldiers killed in this territory since the start of the war. The Israeli military estimates that around 240 people were taken hostage.
Houthi rebels seize commercial ship in Red Sea, Israel says
Houthi rebels in Yemen seized a commercial ship in the Red Sea and diverted it to the Yemeni coast, the Israeli military said on Sunday. “The hijacking of a cargo ship by the Houthis near Yemen, in the southern Red Sea, is a very serious incident with global consequences”denounced the defense forces of the Hebrew State in a press release relayed on Telegram.
In Paris, a silent march for peace at the call of the world of culture
Behind a large white banner and without any slogan, several thousand people, 3,600 people according to the police headquarters, marched in silence in Paris for peace in the Middle East and against hatred, at the call of personalities from around the world. of the culture. The procession set off under the sun from the square of the Institute of the Arab World (Ima) to very symbolically reach the Museum of Art and History of Judaism.