The humanitarian situation remains catastrophic on Tuesday in the Gaza Strip where nearly a million and a half Palestinians are crowding into the town of Rafah, threatened with assault by Israel. According to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), nearly a million and a half people are in Rafah, whose population has increased sixfold since the start of the war on October 7, between Israel and Hamas.
This town located on the closed border with Egypt is targeted daily by strikes by the Israeli army, which said it was preparing a ground assault. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Rafah Hamas’ “last bastion” and said he was determined to continue the offensive “until complete victory.” During the night from Monday to Tuesday, Israeli bombardments focused on the east of the Gaza Strip and the town of Khan Younes.
Information to remember
⇒ There is a risk of “explosion” in the number of child deaths in Gaza, according to UN agencies
⇒ Israeli army says it “fears for the life” of baby hostage in Gaza and his family
⇒ Brazilian Foreign Minister summons Israeli Ambassador to Brazil
A risk of an “explosion” in the number of child deaths in Gaza
An alarming lack of food, rampant malnutrition and the rapid spread of disease could lead to an “explosion” in the number of child deaths in the Gaza Strip, the United Nations warned on Monday. Twenty weeks into Israel’s war against Hamas, UN agencies say food and clean water have become “extremely scarce” in the Palestinian territory and almost all young children are suffering of infectious diseases.
“The Gaza Strip is on the verge of seeing an explosion in the number of preventable child deaths, which could worsen the already unsustainable level of child deaths in Gaza,” said Ted Chaiban, deputy head of the Gaza Strip. humanitarian action within Unicef.
Israeli army says ‘fear for life’ of Gaza baby hostage and his family
Israel “fears for the lives” of the Bibas family, a mother and two children including a baby, captured on October 7 by Hamas commandos, the Israeli army spokesperson said on Monday. “We fear for their lives,” Daniel Hagari said after the army showed images showing, according to him, Shiri Bibas, from behind and surrounded by seven armed men in the Gaza Strip, the day of their capture.
These images date from October 7 and come from a street camera in Khan Younes, in the south of the Gaza Strip, a few kilometers from the Israeli kibbutz of Nir Oz where they were kidnapped, he said. Kfir Bibas, the youngest Israeli hostage held by Hamas, was less than nine months old when he was snatched from his bed on October 7 in Nir Oz. The Islamist movement announced in November the death of the baby, his brother and his mother, allegedly killed by an Israeli bombing. But Israeli authorities have not confirmed it.
Gaza: a vote expected this Tuesday at the UN Security Council
The UN Security Council is due to vote this Tuesday on a new text demanding an “immediate” ceasefire in Gaza. Voting is due to take place at 10 a.m. local time (3 p.m. GMT). The draft resolution prepared by Algeria, seen by AFP, “demands an immediate humanitarian ceasefire which must be respected by all parties.” He opposes the “forced displacement of the Palestinian civilian population”, while Israel has mentioned an evacuation of civilians before a ground offensive in Rafah where 1.4 million people are crowded in the south of the Gaza Strip. And he demands the release of all the hostages.
Like previous texts castigated by Israel and the United States, it does not, however, condemn the unprecedented attack by Hamas on October 7 against Israel which resulted in the death of more than 1,160 people, the majority civilians, according to a count. from AFP based on official Israeli data. This resolution prepared by Algeria is, however, threatened by a new veto from the United States, their third since the start of the war between their Israeli ally and Hamas.
Brazil-Israel diplomatic crisis: Brasilia summons Israeli ambassador
Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira summoned the Israeli ambassador to Brazil on Monday after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was declared “persona non grata” in Israel for his comments comparing the war in Gaza to the Holocaust.
“Faced with the seriousness of this morning’s statements from the Israeli government, Minister Mauro Vieira […] summoned the Israeli Ambassador Daniel Zonshine” Monday in Rio de Janeiro, indicates a press release from the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also “recalled for consultations the Brazilian Ambassador in Tel Aviv, Frederico Meyer, who will leave for Brazil tomorrow (this Tuesday)”.
Gaza: 26 out of 27 EU countries call for an “immediate humanitarian pause”
Twenty-six countries out of the 27 in the EU called on Monday for an “immediate humanitarian pause” in Gaza, said the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell. This request, which Hungary has not taken up, means a “stopping of the fighting” in order to then allow a lasting ceasefire, explained Josep Borrell during a press conference, at the end of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers.
The 26 countries said they were “very concerned” about the possibility of an offensive in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, added Josep Borrell. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic and could be “even worse” if Israel maintains its desire to carry out this offensive, he said. These 26 states are asking Israel not to launch military action in Rafah, Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said on X.
Lebanon: 14 injured during Israeli raids
At least two Israeli strikes targeted a town near the main city in southern Lebanon, wounding 14 people, a security source told AFP. An AFP photographer heard at least two explosions a few seconds apart in Ghaziyeh, located around thirty kilometers from the border with Israel. According to him, one of the raids targeted a warehouse located near the coastal highway and above which a thick cloud of smoke was escaping. Ambulances attended the scene.