Bombings continue in the Gaza Strip. According to Hamas, 70 Palestinians died on Tuesday, July 23, in Khan Younis, a city in the south of the territory, a few hours after the Israeli army ordered residents to evacuate their homes. Leaders from both sides are mobilizing on the international scene. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his official visit to Washington, while Hamas has just announced that it has signed a reconciliation agreement with other Palestinian factions in China.
Key information to remember
⇒ Hamas signs “national unity” agreement with Fatah
⇒ 70 Palestinians killed in Israeli bombings in Khan Younes
⇒ Benjamin Netanyahu to meet Joe Biden in Washington on Thursday
Hamas signs ‘national unity’ deal with Fatah
It is a historic agreement that Hamas signed this Tuesday, July 23 in Beijing with its great rival, Fatah. The text, according to the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, provides for the creation of an “interim government of national reconciliation” after the war in Gaza. In total, 14 different factions met in Beijing to find compromises on Palestinian governance. “Today, we sign an agreement on national unity and we declare that the way to complete this process is national unity,” said Moussa Abou Marzouk, a senior Hamas official.
This agreement is all the more historic since the latter, which controls the Gaza Strip, and Fatah, the party of Mahmoud Abbas at the head of the Palestinian Authority in part of the occupied West Bank, engaged in a long and deadly battle in 2007, after Hamas’ victory in the legislative elections.
Israel responded to the deal by lambasting Fatah for its rapprochement with the Gazan Islamist movement. “Instead of rejecting terrorism, Mahmoud Abbas embraces the murderers and rapists of Hamas, revealing his true colors,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. “In reality, this will not happen because Hamas will be crushed and Abbas will watch Gaza from afar,” he added.
China, for its part, is still seeking to play a mediating role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “Reconciliation is an internal issue for the Palestinian factions, but at the same time, it cannot be achieved without the support of the international community,” explained the Chinese foreign minister, who called on other countries to support this potential new Palestinian government so that it can “effectively control Gaza and the West Bank.”
70 Palestinians killed in Israeli bombings in Khan Younis
Hamas’ health ministry said Monday, July 22, that at least 70 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli operations in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The attacks also left more than 200 wounded. The Israeli army did not immediately respond, but said in a statement that its aircraft and tanks “bombed and eliminated terrorists in the area.”
A few hours earlier, the Israeli army had asked residents to quickly evacuate their homes, saying it was preparing an “operation against terrorist organizations” after rockets were fired at Israel from the so-called “humanitarian zone”. Thousands of people then fled in panic. The army withdrew from Khan Younis in early April, saying it had finished its operations against Hamas there, after months of bombing and fighting.
On Monday evening, July 22, Israeli strikes also left 12 dead in Gaza City and four in the Jabalia camp, according to the official spokesperson for the Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip, an organization dependent on Hamas.
Benjamin Netanyahu to meet Joe Biden in Washington on Thursday
Initially scheduled for Tuesday, July 23, the meeting between Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington will finally take place this Thursday, a senior American official announced. The Israeli Prime Minister is currently on an official visit to the United States and will deliver a speech to Congress on Wednesday, July 24.
Benjamin Netanyahu is also expected to meet “this week” with Vice President and likely Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Harris’ office said. The meeting will be “separate” from the one with the American president.
With Qatar and Egypt, Washington is still trying to restart negotiations to obtain a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages. An Israeli delegation is expected in Doha on Thursday. US President Joe Biden pledged on Monday, July 22, to “continue working to end the war in Gaza.”
WHO “concerned” about possible epidemics in Gaza
The humanitarian crisis could become a serious health crisis. The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed “great concern” about possible outbreaks in the Gaza Strip, particularly after it isolated the polio virus in sewage samples. According to Dr Ayadil Saparbekov, WHO team leader for health emergencies in the Palestinian territories, there are “up to 14,000 people who may” need medical evacuation out of Gaza.
For several days, several organizations, such as the Dutch NGO PAX for the Peace, have already been warning about the risk of contagious diseases in the Palestinian enclave, caused by sewage, mountains of garbage, destroyed housing and food shortages. “There is the risk of diseases and the proliferation of rodents or mosquitoes which further promote the spread of diseases,” explains Louise Wateridge, spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Five Palestinians killed by Israeli army in West Bank, Palestinian officials say
Israeli forces raided a refugee camp in Tulkarem, on the western edge of the occupied West Bank, early Tuesday, July 23. Five Palestinians were killed, according to Palestinian officials. Among the victims were a mother and daughter who were volunteering for local rescue services, Faisal Salamah, a camp official, told AFP. According to him, “three young people” were also killed by the Israeli army. The army has not yet released any information on the matter.
The war in Gaza has intensified violence in the occupied West Bank. Since October 7, at least 579 Palestinians have been killed there by Israeli soldiers or settlers, according to Palestinian authorities. At least 16 Israelis have died in Palestinian attacks or bombings, according to official Israeli data.