While around a hundred Palestinians have died in the last 24 hours in Israeli bombings on the Gaza Strip, including in Rafah, according to Hamas, the two-state solution is being pushed at the international level. During the G20, the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, mentioned, Thursday February 22, a “virtual unanimity” of members in support of a two-state solution in the Middle East, following a meeting in Rio de Janeiro.
Information to remember
⇒ In the midst of war in the Gaza Strip, the two-state solution pushed to the G20
⇒ Gaza: UNRWA has reached a “breaking point”, says its leader
⇒ One dead and four injured in Israeli strike in occupied West Bank (authorities)
In the midst of war in the Gaza Strip, the two-state solution pushed to the G20
The two-state solution as the “only possible” for peace between Israelis and Palestinians received broad support among the G20 countries meeting Thursday in Rio de Janeiro, where the war in the Gaza Strip was at the heart of the debates.
Closing a two-day meeting of foreign ministers of the countries of this group, the head of Brazilian diplomacy Mauro Vieira underlined to the press “the virtual unanimity in support of the two-state solution as the only possible one for the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
UNRWA has reached a ‘breaking point’, says its chief
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has reached a “breaking point”, its boss Philippe Lazzarini warned on Thursday in a letter to the president of the UN General Assembly.
“It is with deep regret that I must inform you today that the Agency has reached a breaking point, with Israel’s repeated calls for its dismantling and the freezing of donor funding in the face of humanitarian needs at Gaza without precedent,” he said in this letter published on X (ex-Twitter). “The Agency’s ability to fulfill its mandate given by General Assembly Resolution 302 is now under serious threat,” he added.
One dead, four injured in Israeli strike in occupied West Bank
One person was killed and four others injured, including one seriously, in an Israeli attack on a vehicle Thursday evening in Jenin, a stronghold of Palestinian armed factions in the north of the occupied West Bank, according to local authorities. Deadly incidents have been increasing in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, between attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, attacks by Palestinians against Israelis, and almost daily raids by the Israeli army.
“An (Israeli) bombing of a car in the Jenin camp left one dead and four injured, including one seriously,” the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry told AFP on Thursday evening. Several major Israeli media reported an Israeli aerial bombardment, which was not immediately confirmed by the Israeli army.
Gaza economy contracted by 80% in 4th quarter
Gaza’s economy contracted by more than 80% in the fourth quarter of the year, the World Bank reported Thursday, which also announced a $30 million grant to maintain education for children. Gaza’s gross domestic product (GDP) “fell by more than 80%” in the 4th quarter of 2023 – the three months from October to December – compared to the 3rd quarter, falling from around 670 million dollars to just 90 million, the World Bank said in a statement, citing preliminary estimates from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
This quarterly drop of 80% is equivalent to an annual drop of 24%, details the World Bank, which specifies that “the observed level of damage and destruction of fixed assets is catastrophic”.
Discussions on the release of hostages held in Gaza “are going well”
The discussions led by Joe Biden’s emissary on a new release of hostages accompanied by a pause in hostilities in Gaza “are going well”, assured Thursday a spokesperson for the White House, John Kirby.
“The initial indications that we have from Brett (McGurk) are that the discussions are going well,” he declared, specifying that the adviser to the American president, in charge of the Middle East, had visited Cairo Wednesday and was in Israel on Thursday, for meetings with the government as well as with families of American hostages. The talks concern “an extended pause in order to release all the hostages” and with the aim of “bringing more humanitarian aid” into the Gaza Strip, recalled John Kirby.
Two Lebanese Hezbollah members killed in Israeli strike
Since the unprecedented attack by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, which triggered the war in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah, in solidarity with the Palestinian Islamist movement, has regularly exchanged deadly fire with the Israeli army at the Israeli-Lebanese border. Two Hezbollah fighters were killed and three injured when an Israeli drone fired two missiles at an inhabited building in Kfar Remmane, the security source said. This locality is located about ten kilometers from the Israeli border.