Hopes for a quick truce in Gaza are fading as the war enters its sixth month. Faced with the humanitarian disaster, the United States, Qatar and Egypt hoped to reach an agreement for a break in the fighting before Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims, which will begin at the beginning of next week. But discussions are at a standstill again and humanitarian aid is still only trickling into the enclave.
Information to remember
⇒ Distribution of deadly aid in Gaza
⇒ Biden says he is working for an immediate ceasefire
⇒ Aid by land is essential, recalls the UN
Distribution of deadly aid in Gaza: soldiers shoot “several suspects”
The “examination” of the tragedy that occurred on February 29 in Gaza during which, according to the Hamas authorities, 115 people were killed around a humanitarian aid convoy, shows that Israeli soldiers “precisely shot at several suspects “, the Israeli army said on Friday.
“The command’s review found that troops [israéliennes] did not fire on the humanitarian convoy, but that they fired on a number of suspects who were approaching [de soldats israéliens] and presented a threat,” the army wrote in a statement.
Biden says he is working for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza
“I am working hard to achieve an immediate ceasefire of at least six weeks,” declared Joe Biden, as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement has just entered its sixth month . The American president urged Israel not to use humanitarian aid as a “bargaining chip” in the Gaza Strip, starving after five months of fighting, while saying he was working toward “an immediate ceasefire.”
Israel’s main ally, the United States is putting increasing pressure on the Israelis, who are now only allowing aid to enter Gaza in dribs and drabs from Egypt. In his State of the Union speech on Thursday, an annual ritual, the American president also announced the construction of a temporary port in Gaza to transport more aid to the Palestinian territory. The construction of a “temporary pier” will take several weeks and does not mean the deployment of American soldiers on the ground, American officials said, specifying that the Israelis had been informed.
Gaza: air and sea cannot replace aid by land, warns UN
The delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza by air drops or by sea cannot “replace” the land route, the UN coordinator responsible for aid to this Palestinian territory insisted on Thursday. “I spoke about the importance of diversifying land supply routes. This remains the optimal solution: easier, faster, cheaper, especially because we know we need continued humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza over a long period of time,” Sigrid Kaag said after a closed-door meeting of the Security Council.
Referring to the recent airdrops carried out by the United States and other countries, including France, she welcomed a “symbol of support for the civilians of Gaza, a proof of our shared humanity”. “But it’s a drop in the ocean.” “The air and the sea cannot replace what must happen by land,” she insisted.
International mobilization to send food to Gaza
While humanitarian aid, subject to the green light from Israel, only enters Gaza in trickles from Egypt, several countries have in recent days dropped meals, particularly in the north of the territory where the Delivery of aid is almost impossible due to fighting, destruction and sometimes looting.
On Thursday, planes from the United States, Israel’s main ally, Jordan, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Egypt took part in a parachute operation. But these are insufficient as the needs are immense. “Airdrops are not an option to avoid famine,” said World Food Program deputy executive director Carl Skau, emphasizing pressure for Israel to allow use of the northern Israeli port of Ashdod. from Gaza.
In Paris, feminist night march for March 8 and the Palestinians
Several thousand feminist, “anti-capitalist” and “anti-racist” demonstrators demonstrated Thursday evening in Paris in “selected non-mix”, on the eve of International Women’s Rights Day and in support of Palestinian women, noted Agence France Press. “Solidarity with the struggles of the whole world,” chanted the demonstrators, gathered at the start of the evening at Place de la République, in the presence of Urgence Palestine and numerous associations defending women’s rights.