what to remember from Tuesday, February 27

Washington and Doha expressed their hope on Tuesday of achieving a pause in fighting during Ramadan in the Gaza Strip.

The United States and Qatar hoped, Tuesday, February 27, to reach a new truce agreement between Israel and Hamas, which would come into force next week and could last until the end of Ramadan, after almost five months of war in the Gaza Strip. According to a latest report from the Hamas Ministry of Health, 29,878 people have died in the Palestinian enclave since the start of the conflict, carried out in retaliation for Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7. Here’s what to remember from Tuesday.

Hope for a truce during Ramadan

Washington and Doha, mediators with Egypt in this war between Israel and Hamas, hope to obtain a pause in the fighting before the start of Ramadan, which would allow the release of some of the 130 hostages still held in the Palestinian territory. The holy month of fasting for Muslims begins on the evening of March 10 or 11, and ends around April 9.

Joe Biden spoke Monday evening on NBC “an agreement by the Israelis that they would not engage in operations during Ramadan”, in order to “bring out all the hostages”. “I am hopeful that by next Monday we will have a ceasefire”he had declared earlier, emphasizing that it was not “not done yet”.

“We would of course be happy to achieve this by the end of the week”assured Tuesday the spokesperson for American diplomacy, Matthew Miller. “We’re trying to get this deal across the finish line, and we think it’s possible.” In Doha, the spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majed al-Ansari, expressed his “hope, without necessarily being optimistic, of being able to announce something today or tomorrow”. Qatar, which hosts Hamas’s political leadership, plays a central role in the negotiations.

Widespread famine ‘almost inevitable’

“If nothing is done, we fear that widespread famine in Gaza is almost inevitable”alerted Ramesh Rajasingham on Tuesday, on behalf of the head of the UN humanitarian office (OCHA) Martin Griffiths. “It is the end of February, with at least 576,000 people in Gaza – a quarter of the population – one step away from famine. With one in six children under the age of two in northern Gaza suffering from acute malnutrition and emaciation. And virtually the entire population of Gaza dependent on woefully inadequate humanitarian aid to survive. he insisted.

“If nothing changes, famine is imminent in northern Gaza”, Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the World Food Program, told the UN Security Council. No convoy has been able to reach northern Gaza since January 23, according to the UN, which denounces the obstructions of the Israeli authorities.

Egypt worries about ‘catastrophic repercussions’ of Rafah offensive

Egypt warned on Tuesday that an offensive by the Israeli army on Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, would have “catastrophic repercussions” on peace in the Middle East. “Any military action in the current circumstances would have catastrophic repercussions that would compromise peace in the region”Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri said, urging Israel not to attack Rafah and calling for an immediate ceasefire. “The world is witnessing the most heinous crimes and violations against the Palestinian people”he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced an upcoming ground operation against the city of Rafah, which he presents as the “last bastion” of Hamas. He assured Sunday that the “total victory” on the Palestinian Islamist movement would then only be a question of “a few weeks”emphasizing that a truce would only “to delay” this offensive.

New exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel

The Lebanese Islamist movement Hezbollah announced on Tuesday that it had targeted an Israeli military base twice, after strikes the day before in eastern Lebanon. In a statement, Hezbollah claimed to have “targeted the Méron air control base”, in northern Israel, using a salvo of anti-armor missiles. He affirmed that this operation took place “in response to Israeli attacks on villages and regions in the south” from Lebanon.

In the evening, the Israeli army announced that it had intercepted several of the “20 launches that were observed from Lebanon towards northern Israel”. She added that she “identified the impact of an anti-tank missile in the area of ​​the air control unit in Méron”specifying that it had not affected the proper functioning of the site. “The Israeli army is currently striking Hezbollah terrorist targets in Lebanon”continues the press release.

For the first time since the war began on October 7, Israel said Monday it had targeted Hezbollah positions in Baalbeck, eastern Lebanon, killing two fighters. The Baalbeck region, in the Bekaa plain bordering Syria, is a stronghold of Hezbollah which has a significant military presence there. The Israeli military said the strikes targeted Hezbollah air defense sites, after the group downed an Israeli Hermes-450 drone.