On the 99th day of war in Gaza, the conflict is spreading a little further into the Middle East, while the United States and the United Kingdom carried out new strikes in Yemen on Saturday January 13 against the Houthi rebels. At the same time, bombings continue in Gaza, where residents are now completely deprived of telecommunications.
Information to remember
⇒ US military confirms new strikes against Houthi site in Yemen
⇒ The Palestinian operator Paltel announced a total cut of telecommunications in Gaza
⇒ Israeli hostages should receive medicine in coming days, after agreement
New US strikes in Yemen
The war between Israel and Hamas has moved partly to Yemen, where American and British forces carried out new strikes this Saturday, January 13, against Yemeni Houthi rebels who threaten maritime transport in the Red Sea in “solidarity” with Gaza .
The Houthi channel, al-Masirah, reported strikes early this morning on at least one site in the capital Sanaa. The United States Central Military Command (Centcom) subsequently confirmed an American strike around 3:45 a.m. local time, “against a radar site in Yemen”.
The day before, American and British strikes had already targeted military sites held by the rebels, who control large regions of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, reviving fears of a regional spillover of the war in Gaza. US President Joe Biden had threatened the Houthis with further strikes on rebel positions if the latter did not stop their firing in the Red Sea.
Houthi rebels have threatened to retaliate for strikes carried out on Friday by the United States and the United Kingdom in Yemen. At the UN, Secretary General Antonio Guterres had earlier called on “all parties concerned to avoid an escalation”.
Total communications cutoff in Gaza
On the Gaza Strip side, Israeli bombings continued into the night according to witnesses, while the UN accuses the Israeli army of limiting fuel supplies, particularly for hospitals. At the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah (center), the lack of fuel caused the main generator to shut down. “We fear the death of patients and children in intensive care and pediatric (wards),” Hamas’ media office said.
Furthermore, the Palestinian operator Paltel announced a total telecommunications cut. “We regret to announce the total shutdown of communications and Internet services in Gaza after the Israeli side disconnected the servers,” it is explained in a press release.
Such cuts have already taken place in the Palestinian territory since the start of hostilities and, each time, rescuers complain of the impact on the coordination of emergency services. “Communication with our teams in Gaza has been completely cut off,” lamented the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Medicine deliveries to hostages
The hostages still held in the Gaza Strip will be able to benefit from medicine “in the coming days”, after negotiations carried out through Qatar, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday.
A diplomat familiar with the negotiations with Qatar indicated that “both parties”, Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement, “have expressed their desire to authorize the delivery of medicines […] The mediators are now finalizing the details. For his part, a source close to Hamas confirmed to AFP the holding of talks on the entry of medicines but not their conclusion.
Three youths killed in occupied West Bank after attack on settlement
In the occupied West Bank, where violence has increased since October 7, the Israeli army said it had targeted and killed three people who attacked the Jewish colony of Adora. Attackers entered the settlement located about twenty kilometers from Hebron, a large city in the south of the West Bank, and opened fire on soldiers on patrol, the army said in a statement. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, the three people killed were a 19-year-old and two 16-year-olds.
In a separate incident in the northern West Bank, a 19-year-old Palestinian man died of his injuries after being beaten by the Israeli army in the Tulkarem area, the Palestinian Health Ministry was quoted as saying by the agency. official Palestinian Authority Wafa.