While Hamas has drawn up a plan for a four and a half month truce, in three stages, likely, according to it, to lead to the end of the conflict which has opposed it to Israel since October, and by then, to the release of the hostages , Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected this prospect and asked the army to prepare for the offensive in Rafah. Thursday February 8, fears increased in this city where refugees were piling up.
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What you must remember
■ While the Palestinian group Hamas confirmed on Tuesday February 6 that it had submitted its response to the Egyptian and Qatari mediators regarding the truce proposal which had been formulated to him, Israel refused this project. According to him, ” Capitulating to the delusional demands of Hamas “, he said, “ not only will it not lead to the release of the hostages, but will lead to another massacre “. He advocates maintaining pressure.
■ Benyamin Netanyahu also implemented what his government had been announcing for several days: “ We ordered the Israeli Defense Forces to prepare an operation in Rafah as well as in two camps » of refugees. He sees the “ last bastions » of Hamas.
■ But such a ground operation arouses great fear. LUN alarmed at prospect of land invasion in Rafahwho could constitute a war crime “. On the border with Egypt, the town is now home to half of the Palestinian population, who have come to take refuge, notably following Israeli instructions. Its population has increased fivefold, with refugees sometimes crowding into cemeteries.
■ “ un new round of negotiations » starts Thursday in Cairo under the sponsorship of Egypt and Qatar, aiming to obtain “ calm in the Gaza Strip » as well as an exchange of Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages, announced an Egyptian official. Hamas said it was sending a delegation there, led by a senior official from its political office.
■ According to the latest report from the Hamas Ministry of Health, communicated Wednesday February 7, 27,708 people were killed in Gaza since the start of the war, October 7, 2023. The dead are mainly women, adolescents and children. We also count 67,147 injured.
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6:35 a.m.: “ New round of negotiations » in Cairo on Thursday, a Hamas delegation expected
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, touring the region, tried to push for the truce proposal drawn up by U.S., Qatari and Egyptian officials in late January in Paris, which Israel ultimately rejected. While he considered that elements of Hamas’ response were ” unacceptable “, he nevertheless said he hoped for a second truce after that of a week in November which had notably favored the release of hostages in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel.
However, Egypt and Qatar sponsor “ a new round of negotiations » which begins Thursday in Cairo and aims to obtain “ calm in the Gaza Strip » as well as an exchange of Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages, an Egyptian official announced to AFP.
And Hamas clarified Thursday morning that a delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya, senior official of its political office, is expected in Cairo this morning.
5:20 a.m.: Deadly overnight strikes kill at least 109 people in southern Gaza Strip
During the night from Wednesday to Thursday, witnesses and hospital sources reported deadly strikes in the south of the Gaza Strip, particularly in Rafah, with the Hamas Ministry of Health counting a total of 109 deaths from Wednesday evening to Thursday morning.
5 a.m.: Great fears for Rafah after the announcement of a land operation
Fears are growing on Thursday over the fate of more than a million Palestinians stuck in Rafah, a town at the southern tip of Gaza where Israel is preparing to carry out an offensive, as a new round of talks opens in Cairo for a truce.
After a first phase of its deployment which was concentrated in the north of the Palestinian territory, the Israeli army progressed towards the center and south of Gaza, notably in the town of Khan Younes, the epicenter of fierce fighting and raids in recent weeks. continuous aerial flights.
Benyamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that he had ordered the Israeli army to “prepare” an offensive on Rafah, a city located on the closed border with Egypt, where there are 1.3 million Palestinians, the vast majority of whom are displaced people. by the clashes of recent months.
During the night from Wednesday to Thursday, witnesses and hospital sources reported deadly strikes in the south of the Gaza Strip, particularly in Rafah.
► Find our live from February 7 here