Two hostages were released Monday October 23 evening by Hamas, ordered by the United States to release the 220 Israeli, foreign or binational people kidnapped during its deadly attack against Israel on October 7, before any discussion on a truce.
The two hostages are women, of Israeli nationality and from Kibbutz Nir Oz, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s office which gave their identities: Yocheved Lifschitz, 85 years old, and Nourit Kuper, 79 years old. Their husbands are still detained. After being transported in a military helicopter, the two ex-hostages arrived at the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, one on a stretcher and the other in a wheelchair. This release comes three days after that of an American woman and her daughter.
The United States demands the release of all hostages
Monday evening the same day, US President Joe Biden demanded the release of all hostages before discussions on a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and the Islamist movement.
“The hostages must be released, then we can talk,” declared the American president. In its statement announcing the releases, Hamas accused Israel of having “violated on eight occasions the arrangements governing the release operation that had been agreed with the mediators for it to be carried out.”
Macron in Israel: the president will request a “humanitarian truce”
President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday October 14 to express France’s “full solidarity” with Israel, and to plead for a “humanitarian truce” in order to provide aid to the inhabitants of Gaza, according to the Elysium. He will ask Israel to “preserve the civilian populations” in Gaza and is expected to call for the resumption of a long-term peace process between an Israeli state and a recognized Palestinian state, which would involve “stopping colonization.” in the West Bank.
“The only way to be useful is: 1 – to bring solidarity to Israel 2 – to make very clear commitments against terrorist groups 3 – to reopen a political perspective”, indicated the French presidency, referring to the purposes of the head of state’s trip.
35 UN aid workers killed in Gaza
Six employees of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) were killed in Gaza in just 24 hours, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced on Monday evening. This brings to 35 the number of UNRWA personnel killed since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7.
As a third convoy crossed the Rafah checkpoint to help civilians in Gaza on Monday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called on Monday for a “ceasefire immediate humanitarian relief” in Gaza. At least a hundred trucks per day would be necessary to constitute sufficient humanitarian aid for the Gazans according to the UN, while only 50 trucks were able to enter the Palestinian strip in three days.
For the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, whose country has not explicitly condemned the Hamas attack but who serves as mediator, “the most urgent task now is to prevent the situation from getting worse and leading to a more serious humanitarian catastrophe” according to a press release from his ministry.
The UN General Assembly will meet on Thursday
The UN General Assembly will meet on Thursday at 10 a.m. to discuss the war triggered by the Hamas attack on Israeli soil, its president announced Monday in a letter to member states Monday evening. While the Security Council failed to agree on a resolution concerning this war, several States, notably Jordan on behalf of the Arab group, Russia, Syria, Bangladesh and even Vietnam and the Cambodia, have formally requested General Assembly President Dennis Francis to schedule this meeting.
Last week, the UN Security Council, regularly divided on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, initially rejected a Russian proposal for a resolution calling for a “humanitarian ceasefire” but did not name Hamas, which which was unacceptable to the United States, the United Kingdom and France.
A second draft resolution drawn up by Brazil, which holds the presidency of the Council in October, was blocked by an American veto. Washington lambasted this text which did not mention Israel’s “right to defend itself”, while 12 countries voted for it. Before the General Assembly meeting, the Security Council will meet again on Tuesday on this issue. A long-planned meeting at which certain foreign ministers are expected.