Hamas: the UN undertakes a new attempt to impose a ceasefire – L’Express

Israel is facing growing international outrage over the heavy toll of civilian casualties and the destruction of hospitals in Gaza, while escalating its war against Hamas in the “besieged” territory. The United Nations Security Council was due to vote on Monday on a new text calling for an “urgent and lasting cessation of hostilities” in Gaza.

⇒ The UN Security Council must decide on a new text

⇒ The Israeli army announces having discovered the “largest tunnel” in Gaza

⇒ France calls for an immediate and lasting truce in Gaza

Ten days after an American veto, the UN Security Council must decide on Monday on a new text calling for an “urgent and lasting cessation of hostilities” in Gaza, at a time when Washington is showing signs of impatience with its Israeli ally. The new draft text prepared by the United Arab Emirates, consulted by Agence France Presse, “calls for an urgent and lasting cessation of hostilities to allow unimpeded access for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.” In particular, it demands that the parties to the conflict facilitate the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid throughout the Gaza Strip, “by land, sea and air”.

The Israeli army announced on Sunday that it had discovered Hamas’ “largest tunnel” under the besieged Gaza Strip, where it continues its deadly strikes despite pressing calls for a ceasefire. “This massive network of tunnels, which is divided into several branches, extends for more than four kilometers and arrives only 400 meters from the Erez crossing point”, between Israel and the northern Gaza Strip , indicated the Israeli armed forces. The tunnel unearthed by the army is equipped with a system of pipes, electricity, ventilation, sewers, communication networks and rails, noted an AFP journalist authorized to visit there. give back.

The Hamas Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip announced Monday that 110 Palestinians had been killed since the day before in Israeli strikes in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip. In a short statement, the Ministry of Health reported that strikes had left “50 martyrs on houses in Jabalia”, bringing to 110 the number of deaths since Sunday in this city. The ministry’s latest report, published Friday, showed 18,800 deaths since the start of the war with Israel on October 7. An assessment that no independent source is able to verify.

The World Health Organization said it was “dismayed by the effective destruction” of the Kamal Adwan hospital in the northern Gaza Strip after an Israeli army operation which, according to the WHO, cost life to “at least eight patients”. “Many health workers have been arrested, and WHO and its partners are urgently seeking information on their status,” wrote WHO boss Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on X. In response to this message, the Israeli representation to the UN in Geneva criticized, still on X, Dr. Tedros for not saying “that Hamas has established itself inside the hospital”.

Before the Israeli army “entered the compound, a dialogue was initiated in coordination with the medical teams.” The army “authorized a humanitarian window and most of the hospital was evacuated,” assured Israeli diplomacy. The WHO boss’s version differs: “We have learned that many patients had to evacuate themselves, risking their health and safety, as ambulances were unable to reach the establishment,” writes – he.

Two Syrian soldiers were injured Sunday evening in Israeli strikes against targets near Damascus, the Syrian Defense Ministry said. “At approximately 10:05 p.m. (7:05 p.m. GMT Sunday), the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial attack from the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting various locations near the capital Damascus,” the ministry said in a statement relayed by the Sana official agency. “The attack injured two soldiers and caused material damage,” he added, specifying that its anti-aircraft defenses had intercepted several missiles.

The French Minister of Foreign Affairs called on Sunday in Israel for a “new immediate and lasting truce” in the Gaza Strip, saying she was “concerned” by the situation of Palestinians and Israeli hostages after more than two months of war. “Too many civilians are being killed,” said Catherine Colonna.

“The Palestinians do not have to pay for terrorist crimes that they did not commit,” she added to the press before leaving the country at the end of the day. The head of French diplomacy stressed that the first one-week truce ended on December 1 had made it possible to free 105 of the 250 hostages taken by force by Palestinian Hamas during the October 7 attack. Humanitarian aid provided to civilians in Gaza was able to be increased and the wounded evacuated. “We know it’s not enough,” she said.