While negotiations on a truce agreement between Israel and Hamas continue, the threat of an offensive by the Jewish state on the city of Rafah (in the south of the Palestinian territory) still weighs. At the same time, the King of Jordan warned this Sunday that continued fighting during Ramadan – which begins on March 10 or 11 – would lead to an “extension of the conflict”.
Information to remember
⇒ A plan for the “evacuation” of civilians in the Gaza Strip
⇒ The Emir of Qatar expected in Paris Tuesday and Wednesday
⇒ The King of Jordan anticipates an “extension of the conflict”
Israeli army presents plan to ‘evacuate’ civilians in Gaza Strip
The Israeli army presented a plan to “evacuate” civilians from “combat zones” in the Gaza Strip, the Prime Minister’s Office announced on Monday in a short press release, without providing details. This announcement comes before an expected Israeli offensive in Rafah that Benjamin Netanyahu wishes to launch despite multiple international warnings.
This city, located in the south of Palestinian territory on the closed border with Egypt, is presented by the Israeli Prime Minister as the “last bastion” of the Islamist movement Hamas.
American soldier attempts to set himself on fire
Protesting against the war in Gaza, according to local media, an American soldier attempted to set himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington this Sunday. Emergency services rushed to the scene in response to a “call regarding a person burning in front of the Israeli embassy,” the capital’s fire department said on X.
When they arrived, they found that the Secret Service, the protection service for high-ranking officials of the American state, had already put out the fire. The man, who was an active member of the air force, according to AFP, was taken to hospital with “serious, life-threatening injuries.”
Israel: “objective” is to push back Lebanese Hezbollah
If a truce agreement is currently under discussion, it will not undermine Israel’s “objective” of pushing Lebanese Hezbollah from its northern border, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said this Sunday. Since the start of the war, Hezbollah, an Islamist movement supported by Iran and an ally of Palestinian Hamas, and the Israeli army have engaged in almost daily exchanges of fire on the Lebanese-Israeli border.
“We will continue firing, regardless of what happens in the south, until we reach our objective,” declared the Minister of Defense.
Yoav Gallant also indicated that the Jewish state had the ambition to continue to “increase” its military capabilities on its border with Lebanon. The goal, he explained: “for Hezbollah to withdraw to where it should be, whether by agreement or by force.”
The Emir of Qatar expected in Paris Tuesday and Wednesday
This is a first in the French capital for the Emir of Qatar, Tamim ben Hamad Al-Thani. The latter is expected in Paris on Tuesday February 27 and Wednesday February 28 to speak with the French President, Emmanuel Macron. The aim is to continue discussions around a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
“Qatar is particularly working on the release of the hostages which is a priority for us,” argued the presidency while three French people are still being held hostage in the Gaza Strip.
A famine can still be “averted” in Gaza
According to the UN, 2.2 million people, the vast majority of the population, are threatened with famine in the Gaza Strip besieged by Israel. However, a famine can still be “avoided” in this area if Israel allows humanitarian agencies to bring in more aid, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said this Sunday. , Philippe Lazzarini.
“It’s a man-made disaster. […] The world was committed to never again allowing famine,” wrote Philippe Lazzarini on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Before the war, around 500 trucks per day entered the Gaza Strip with various goods. But since October 7, this number has rarely exceeded 200, despite the enormous needs even more pressing, the economy and agricultural production having been ravaged by the war, according to the UN.
The King of Jordan anticipates an “extension of the conflict”
During a meeting in Amman with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, King Abdullah II of Jordan warned this Sunday against “an extension of the conflict” if Israel continues its military campaign in the Gaza Strip during Ramadan. The Muslim holy month is scheduled to begin on March 10 or 11.
Beforehand, Israel had warned that if Hamas did not release all the hostages before the start of Ramadan, it would continue fighting during the holy month, particularly in Rafah, where nearly 1.5 million civilians, most of them displaced, are massed. by war.