Fighting between the Israeli army and Palestinian Hamas is still raging this Friday in the Gaza Strip despite “first” signs suggesting a new truce and the release of hostages, after almost four months of war.
During the night from Thursday to Friday, Palestinian witnesses reported Israeli raids in the center and south of the Gaza Strip, particularly in the area of Khan Younes, the second city in the territory where Israeli operations have been concentrated in recent weeks. . The Hamas health ministry counted at least 105 civilians killed in the evening and night across Gaza.
Information to remember
⇒ The United States takes sanctions against Israeli settlers
⇒ Hamas gives “first positive confirmation” to proposed humanitarian pause
⇒ Belgium summons Israeli ambassador after strikes on her offices in Gaza
Biden takes sanctions over Israeli settler violence
The United States announced rare sanctions on Thursday targeting extremist Israeli settlers accused of violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, with President Joe Biden denouncing an “intolerable” situation. “The situation in the West Bank, particularly high levels of extremist settler violence, forced displacement of people and villages, and destruction of property, has reached intolerable levels and poses a serious threat to peace, security and stability of the West Bank, Gaza, Israel and the Middle East region,” Joe Biden wrote in a presidential decree.
“These actions undermine the objectives of the foreign policy of the United States, including that of a two-state solution” Israeli and Palestinian, and as such represent “a threat to the national security of the United States”, adds- he in this text granting him the authority to take sanctions.
Israel’s first ally, the United States has for months condemned the violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, urging the Israeli authorities to stop it and bring the perpetrators to justice. “Israel must do more to end the violence against civilians in the West Bank and hold those responsible accountable,” reiterated the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken, who himself must visit once again the region in the coming days.
“No room” for US sanctions against settlers
Israel said Thursday that there was “no room for exceptional measures” against Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, where violence has increased on the sidelines of the war in Gaza, after sanctions announced by Washington.
“The absolute majority of settlers in Judea and Samaria (Editor’s note: West Bank) are law-abiding citizens, many of whom are currently fighting in defense of Israel. Israel takes action against all those who violate the law everywhere,” he said in a statement. communicated the Prime Minister’s Office.
Hamas gives “first positive confirmation”
Hamas has given a “first positive confirmation” to a proposed humanitarian pause in its war with Israel and an exchange of Palestinian hostages and prisoners, Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al -Ansari.
A new agreement for a truce and to release hostages and Palestinians held by Israel is currently under consideration, based on a proposal issued following a meeting in France last weekend between American representatives , Israeli, Qatari and Egyptian. “This proposal was approved by the Israeli side and we now have a first positive confirmation from Hamas,” Majed al-Ansari said.
“The road ahead is still very difficult. We are optimistic because both sides have accepted the premises that would lead to a next break. We hope that in the next two weeks we will be able to share good news on this matter “, he added. A source close to Hamas in Gaza, however, told AFP that there was still no consensus on the proposal. “There is no agreement yet on the framework of the proposal […] and Qatar’s statement is hasty and false,” the source said.
Belgium summons Israeli ambassador
The Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hadja Lahbib, announced on the night of Thursday to Friday that she had summoned the Israeli ambassador to Belgium after strikes which “destroyed” the offices of the Belgian development agency in the Gaza Strip .
“The offices of Enabel, the Belgian development agency, in Gaza were bombed and destroyed. Targeting civilian buildings is unacceptable […]”, we are summoning the Israeli ambassador to clarify things,” the Belgian minister declared on X (ex-Twitter), saying she was acting in tandem with Development Minister Caroline Gennez.
Enabel director Jean Van Wetter told X that the agency’s offices in Gaza had been “completely destroyed yesterday in a bombing.” “We are all shocked at Enabel. As a government agency working for the common good within the framework of international humanitarian law, we cannot accept this,” he wrote, posting two photos, one of the building where the agency’s offices were located before the alleged bombing, and the other a pile of rubble.
Yemen: new American strikes
The US military shot down a drone off the coast of Yemen on Thursday and destroyed an unmanned naval surface drone loaded with explosives in the Red Sea, as Houthi rebels continue to threaten maritime traffic in the region. The American military Command in the Middle East (Centcom) also announced that this Yemeni movement close to Iran had launched two missiles potentially targeting a cargo ship, but without hitting it.
The drone was shot down over the Gulf of Aden early Thursday, Centcom said, without specifying who it belonged to. However, he blamed the Houthis for the drone ship, whose destruction caused “significant secondary explosions”, but no injuries or material damage. The American army had previously announced that it had destroyed ten Houthi and three Iranian drones in a series of strikes.
In recent weeks, the rebels, who control a large part of Yemen at war, have increased attacks targeting ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, essential passages for world trade.