The United States reiterated its opposition to an Israeli military operation in Rafah on Thursday, February 15 evening, without “a credible plan” to ensure the protection of civilians. Around 1.4 million Palestinians are in this city located on the border with Egypt. Joe Biden says he hopes to reach an agreement between Hamas and Israel for the release of Israeli hostages. At the same time, the Israeli army carried out a “targeted operation” on Thursday February 15 in the Nasser hospital in Khan Younes, where thousands of displaced people are sheltering. The IDF said the building could have housed hostages.
Today’s news
⇒ Joe Biden reaffirms his opposition to a ground operation in Rafah without a plan to protect civilians
⇒ Israel carried out “a targeted operation” in Nasser hospital in Khan Younes on Thursday, where thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering
⇒ The United States hopes to reach a truce agreement between Israel and Hamas, as the Muslim celebrations of Ramadan approach
Israeli army invades hospital in Khan Yunis
After four months of war between Israel and Hamas, the violence is concentrated in the south of the besieged and devastated Gaza Strip, between the town of Khan Younes, where the Israeli army announced Thursday that it was carrying out a “targeted operation” in the the Nasser hospital which housed thousands of displaced people, and that of Rafah, on the border with Egypt.
Israel explained its operation in the Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis with “credible information” according to which Hamas had held hostages there, affirming “that there might be bodies of hostages” there. The Hamas government’s Health Ministry said Friday it feared for the lives of six patients in intensive care and three infants in the hospital’s maternity ward due to a lack of oxygen, as the electricity generators had stopped.
The ministry reported a death toll of “112” in the night from Thursday to Friday across the Gaza Strip.
The United States reaffirms its opposition to an operation in Rafah
The international community, led by the United States, is stepping up its calls to dissuade Israel from launching a large-scale offensive in Rafah, where nearly a million and a half Palestinians are caught in the trap on the border with Egypt.
American President Joe Biden reiterated to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a telephone call on the night of Thursday February 15 to Friday 16, his opposition to a military operation in Rafah “without a credible and feasible plan ensuring the security of civilians in Rafah,” according to the White House.
Benjamin Netanyahu announced a “powerful action” against Rafah to deal the final blow to Hamas, in power in Gaza, but assured that his army would previously allow civilians “to leave the combat zones”, without explaining to which destination.
Around 1.4 million people, many of whom have been displaced several times since the start of the conflict, are crowded into Rafah, transformed into a gigantic encampment. “More than half of the Gazan population is crowded into less than 20% of the Gaza Strip,” summarizes the UN.
Rafah is also the main entry point for humanitarian aid from Egypt, controlled by Israel and insufficient to meet the needs of a population threatened by famine and epidemics.
“Working towards an agreement” on the release of hostages
During his conversation with the Israeli Prime Minister, Joe Biden also “reaffirmed his commitment to working tirelessly to ensure the release of all hostages as soon as possible.” According to Israel, 130 hostages are still held in Gaza, 30 of whom are believed to have died, out of around 250 people kidnapped on its territory on October 7. A week-long truce in November allowed the release of 105 hostages and 240 Palestinians held by Israel.
Negotiations for a truce including new releases of Hamas hostages and Palestinians held by Israel continue in Cairo until Friday, under the mediation of Qatar, Egypt and the United States. According to the American newspaper The Washington Postthe Biden administration and several Arab countries allied with the United States are working on a comprehensive plan intended to establish a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace after the end of the war between Israel and Hamas.
This plan would provide for a ceasefire “with an expected duration of at least six weeks”, the release of Israeli hostages, as well as a timetable for the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state, a prospect rejected by the Netanyahu government. THE Washington Post cites American and Arab officials who hope for an agreement before March 10, the start date of Ramadan. This plan could, according to its promoters, be the subject of discussions at the Munich Security Conference, which opens on Friday.