This Wednesday, January 17, Israel is increasing air raids in the south of the Gaza Strip where medicines are expected for hostages held by Hamas and humanitarian aid for the Palestinian population as part of an agreement negotiated by France and Qatar.
Information to remember
⇒ A new maritime carrier suspends the transit of its cargoes through the Red Sea
⇒ New humanitarian agreement between Israel and Hamas
⇒ A tribute to the victims of Hamas will take place in Paris on February 7
Israeli strikes on a hospital in Khan Younes
During the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, witnesses reported Israeli strikes near the Nasser hospital in Khan Younes, the main town in southern Gaza where, according to Israel, local Hamas leaders are hiding.
According to these witnesses, these strikes caused panic among the hundreds of people displaced by the fighting who have found refuge in recent weeks in the vast grounds of this hospital. And the Hamas health ministry reported at least 81 deaths overnight in Khan Younes and other areas across Gaza. An assessment that no independent source is able to verify.
New Iranian strikes in Pakistan
Pakistan on Wednesday accused Iran of an airstrike near the border shared by the two countries. A “totally unacceptable” and unjustified action, judges Islamabad, and which killed two children on its territory. Iranian authorities did not immediately comment. But according to the Iranian state agency Nour News, the attack led to the destruction of the headquarters in Pakistan of the jihadist group Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice). This movement, formed in 2012, is considered terrorist by Tehran and has carried out several attacks on Iranian soil in recent years.
Pakistan said it had summoned Iran’s representative in Islamabad to protest against “an unjustified violation of its airspace.” “What is all the more worrying is that this illegal act took place despite the existence of several channels of communication between Pakistan and Iran,” Pakistani diplomacy said.
The attacks come a day after missile attacks on what Iran’s Revolutionary Guards called “spy” headquarters and “terrorist” targets in Syria and in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan.
A maritime carrier suspends the transit of its cargoes through the Red Sea
The major Japanese maritime carrier Nippon Yusen (NYK Line) confirmed this Wednesday that it was completely suspending the transit of its cargo ships through the Red Sea, due to the sharp rise in tensions in this region. Nippon Yusen claims to have made this decision to “guarantee the safety of the crews”.
Many large oil companies (BP, Shell, QatarEnergy) and shipping companies (MSC, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM, etc.) have already decided in recent weeks to avoid the Red Sea until further notice.
The United States will designate the Houthis as a “terrorist” entity
The United States is preparing to once again designate the Yemeni Houthi rebels as a “terrorist” entity after attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea, American media reported Tuesday, January 16.
The announcement, expected this Wednesday, comes as the American army carried out strikes in Yemen the day before targeting four missiles from the Houthi rebels which represented an “imminent threat” to merchant and military ships, according to an American official. “We are not looking for regional conflict, far from it,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “We seek to stop the spread of the conflict and create conditions for de-escalation.”
A new humanitarian agreement between Israel and Hamas
Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on Tuesday to bring in humanitarian aid for the population of the besieged Palestinian territory and medicine for Israeli hostages, the Qatari Foreign Ministry announced.
The agreement, negotiated by Qatar and France, concerns “the entry of a shipment of humanitarian aid for civilians in the Gaza Strip, particularly in the most affected areas, in exchange for the delivery of medicines to the hostages,” according to ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari.
Paris wanted to avoid “escalation”
Paris has “decided not to join” the strikes of the American-British coalition against the Houthis in Yemen “to avoid any escalation” in the region, Emmanuel Macron argued this Tuesday during a press conference.
He also warned Israel about the continuation of operations that are not sufficiently targeted in Gaza, constituting a “long-term risk for the security” of the country. In addition, the Head of State announced the organization on February 7 of a tribute to the victims of the attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Israel.