The fate of civilians in Gaza remains at the heart of serious concerns on Saturday the day after a decision by the highest UN court calling on Israel to prevent any possible act of “genocide” in the Palestinian territory. And these concerns are focused on Khan Younes, the main city in the south of the besieged territory which has been the scene of fierce fighting between the Israeli army and Hamas in recent days.
These clashes, coupled with Israeli air raids, pushed thousands of people to leave the city and reduced the capacity of the two main local hospitals, Nasser and al-Amal, to a minimum. During the night, witnesses reported violent strikes on the spot and the Palestinian Red Crescent said it had received the dead and treated the wounded at al-Amal hospital. As for the Nasser hospital, the largest in Khan Younes, its “surgical capacity” is “almost non-existent”, and the “few members of the medical staff who remained have to deal with very low stocks of medical equipment”, lamented Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Information to remember:
- Khan Younes continues to be the scene of fierce fighting between the Israeli army and Hamas
- The International Court of Justice on Friday called on Israel to prevent any possible act of “genocide” in Gaza
- Israel accuses members of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) of being involved in the October 7 attack
“As fighting intensifies around Nasser Hospital… hundreds of patients and health staff have fled. There are currently 350 patients and 5,000 people displaced (by the fighting) in the area. hospital”, added Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization (WHO). “The hospital is running out of fuel, food and supplies,” he added, calling for an “immediate ceasefire.”
Israel wants UNRWA to have no role in Gaza after war
Israel wants the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) to no longer play any role in Gaza, after accusations that employees were involved in the Hamas attack on October 7, its head said. diplomacy.
The government wants to “ensure that UNRWA will not be part” of the solution in the Palestinian territory after the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement, Israel Katz said in a statement, hoping to “stop” all activities of the agency.
Hamas denounces Israel’s “threats” against the UN
Hamas denounced Israel’s “threats and blackmail” against UN agencies on Saturday, after accusations that employees of the Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) participated in the attack of Hamas on October 7.
“We ask the United Nations and international organizations not to give in to threats and blackmail” from Israel, added the Palestinian Islamist movement in a press release, while several countries including the United States have suspended their funding of UNRWA .
Historic decision
Seized by South Africa, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday called on Israel to prevent any possible act of “genocide” in Gaza, an accusation deemed “scandalous” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel, which controls the entry of international aid into this besieged territory, must take “immediate measures” to allow access to aid in Gaza, said the ICJ, which has no leverage to impose his decisions.
However, the UN Security Council will meet on Wednesday to examine this decision, at the request of Algeria which seeks to “give it enforceable effect”. The Court, which sits in The Hague, did not, however, call for a ceasefire in Gaza, where the Israeli army is carrying out a military offensive in retaliation for the unprecedented attack carried out against Israel on October 7 by the Hamas.
The Hamas attack led to the deaths of around 1,140 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures. Some 250 people were kidnapped during this attack and taken to Gaza, including around a hundred released at the end of November during a truce in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. In response, Israel vowed to “annihilate” Hamas and launched a vast military operation that left 26,257 people dead, the vast majority of them women, children and adolescents, according to the movement’s Health Ministry.
“Compassion”
The European Union called for the “immediate” application of this decision, described as “baseless” by Washington, Israel’s main ally, while France stressed that the crime of genocide required “the establishment of a intention”. Brazil also called for “total and immediate respect” of the decision, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The decision was welcomed by Turkey, Iran, Spain and Qatar, the mediator which hosts the Hamas leadership. Saudi Arabia has demanded that Israel be “accountable” for its “violations” of international law.
“This is the first time that the world has told Israel that it is crossing the line. What Israel did to us in Gaza for four months has never happened in history,” reacted Maha Yasin, a Palestinian aged 42 “At least I have the impression that the world has started to sympathize with us,” added this woman who is one of the 1.7 million displaced Palestinians, according to UN estimates. by raids and combats.
Meeting in Paris
If Israel rejects the decision of the ICJ, and opposes South Africa’s approach before this court, it participates in discussions aimed at putting a “pause” in its operation in exchange for the release of the hostages.
The head of the CIA, the American intelligence service, will meet “in the coming days in Paris” his Israeli and Egyptian counterparts, as well as the Qatari Prime Minister, to try to conclude a truce agreement between Israel and Hamas, a security source told AFP on Friday.
US President Joe Biden discussed with the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the “latest events in Israel and Gaza, including efforts to free hostages kidnapped by Hamas”, the House announced on Friday Blanche, while suggesting that no “imminent” announcement was to be expected.