Follow the live
While the Israeli army has just called for the evacuation of the largest city in Gaza, the UN Security Council will, once again, attempt to speak with one voice on the conflict between Israel and Hamas this Thursday.
⇒ Israeli army orders evacuation of Khan Younes, the largest city in Gaza
⇒ The UN Security Council will again try to speak with one voice this Thursday
⇒ Fighting terrorism is not “razing everything in Gaza”, says Emmanuel Macron
Israeli army orders evacuation of Gaza’s largest city
The Israeli army on Wednesday ordered on social media the “immediate evacuation” of an area “covering approximately 20%” of the town of Khan Younes, the largest city in southern Gaza, according to a report from the Office of the UN Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). “The extent of the displacements resulting from the evacuation order is not clear,” notes the Ocha.
The Gaza Strip is deprived of electricity due to the total blockade exercised by Israel and many residents only have the radio and word of mouth to obtain information. According to Ocha, the area to be evacuated housed more than 111,000 inhabitants before the start of the Israeli offensive two months ago, and now has some 141,000 Palestinians taking refuge in 32 camps fleeing the fighting.
The UN Security Council hangs on the American position
The UN Security Council must try again on Thursday to speak with one voice. The Council, widely criticized for its inaction since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, has been negotiating this text sponsored by the United Arab Emirates for several days.
The vote initially planned for Monday was postponed several times, the last on Wednesday at the request of the Americans who had vetoed on December 8 a previous text calling for a “humanitarian ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip, shelled by the Israeli forces in retaliation for the bloody and unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7.
“Diplomacy takes time,” commented UAE Ambassador to the UN Lana Zaki Nusseibeh on Wednesday, noting that the negotiations involved, “at the highest level, capitals having weight” in this issue. Hoping for a “positive” result from these negotiations to break the deadlock, she assured that even if not, “there will be a vote”.
For Macron, fighting terrorism is not “razing everything in Gaza”
President Emmanuel Macron again warned Israel on Wednesday that fighting terrorism does not mean “razing everything in Gaza”, reiterating his call for a truce “leading to a ceasefire for humanitarian reasons”.
“As the weeks go by, we cannot allow the idea to take hold that fighting effectively against terrorism would mean razing everything in Gaza or attacking civilian populations indiscriminately and causing civilian victims,” said the leader. of the State on the France 5 channel.
“This is why, while recognizing Israel’s right to protect itself while fighting terrorism, we demand the protection of these people and a truce leading to a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds,” he said. he added.