The Israeli army claimed Thursday to have taken “operational control” of the Gaza port, a key infrastructure in the Palestinian territory, on the 41st day of the war between Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas. A joint operation of armored and naval forces made it possible “in recent days” to “take operational control of the port of Gaza, which was controlled by the terrorist organization Hamas”, the army said in a statement, affirming that the movement The Palestinian Authority used it “as a training center for its naval commando forces to plan and execute naval terrorist attacks.”
Information to remember:
- Israeli army continues “targeted” operation against Hamas in al-Chifa hospital on Thursday
- UN calls for ‘humanitarian pauses and corridors’
- Israeli army announces loss of 50 soldiers in Gaza since war began
- Negotiations over the release of Israeli hostages continue
- Israeli opposition leader calls on Netanyahu to leave office before war ends
- Five injured in attack near Jerusalem, assailant “neutralized”
- Israeli army says it seized ‘images relating to hostages’ in al-Chifa hospital
Israeli army says it seized ‘images relating to hostages’ in al-Chifa hospital
An Israeli army official said Thursday that “images relating to hostages” captured during the Hamas attack on Israel were found on computers seized during the army’s intervention in the al-Qaeda hospital. -Chifa of Gaza.
The images were found on equipment “belonging to Hamas,” the official said in a statement, adding that the raid on Gaza’s largest facility was still underway on Thursday: “soldiers are searching every floor, building after building while hundreds of patients and medical staff remain in the complex.”
Hamas health ministry says Israel ‘destroyed’ services at al-Chifa hospital
The Hamas Ministry of Health said Thursday that the Israeli army had struck several wards of al-Chifa hospital in Gaza City, where hundreds of patients, staff and civilians are located, destroying the hospital’s infrastructure. radiology. “They destroyed the radiology department and bombed the burns and dialysis department” of this hospital, the largest in Gaza, ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidreh told AFP.
Ammunition, weapons found in al-Chifa hospital: Israeli army
The Israeli army continues its operation on Thursday in the main hospital in Gaza, a strategic Hamas military site according to it where thousands of civilians are crowded, causing serious concern and criticism. “Tonight we are carrying out a targeted operation in al-Chifa hospital. We continue to move forward,” Major General Yaron Finkelman said late Wednesday evening on the army’s Telegram channel. The Israeli army confirmed to AFP early Thursday that its “soldiers” were still deployed in this hospital, the largest in Gaza where, according to the UN, there are around 2,300 people (patients, caregivers, displaced people).
“Israeli bulldozers destroyed parts of the southern entrance” to the hospital, the Hamas administration’s Health Ministry announced in a brief statement in Arabic. Israel accuses Palestinian Hamas of using al-Chifa hospital as a military base, with the site representing a major objective in its war against the Islamist movement, which it has classified as a terrorist organization like the United States and the European Union. and who controls the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army claims to have found Hamas “ammunition, weapons and military equipment” in this hospital. It has published images of what it claims are weapons, grenades and other equipment found in al-Chifa. The AFP was unable to independently verify these claims. The Israeli army “found neither weapons nor military equipment” in the al-Chifa hospital, assures the Hamas Ministry of Health, affirming “not to authorize” the presence of weapons in its establishments.
UN calls for ‘humanitarian pauses and corridors’
Breaking silence for the first time since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, the UN Security Council called for “humanitarian pauses and corridors” in the Gaza Strip. This text, which received 12 votes in favor and 3 abstentions (United States, United Kingdom, Russia), is also the first resolution adopted by the Council since the end of 2016 on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Dozens of Israeli soldiers, some hooded, burst into this hospital early Wednesday, according to the journalist working with AFP on site.
“All men aged 16 and over, raise your hands in the air and exit the buildings towards the inner courtyard to surrender,” soldiers shouted in Arabic before withdrawing, then repositioning themselves on the spot. And soldiers also searched crying women and children, according to the journalist on site. In the hospital corridors, they sometimes fired into the air as they went from room to room. This first raid on this hospital sparked international condemnation and pressing calls to protect Palestinian civilians.
American President Joe Biden, a key supporter of Israel in its war against Hamas, called on his ally on the night of Wednesday to Thursday to be “extremely careful” in the conduct of his operation at al-Chifa hospital. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned “with the greatest firmness” the bombings of civilian infrastructure, while the Quai d’Orsay declared that the Palestinian population did not “have to pay for the crimes of Hamas”.
Israeli army announces loss of 50 soldiers in Gaza since war began
The Israeli army announced Thursday the death of two new soldiers in the fighting in the Gaza Strip, bringing to 50 the total of its soldiers killed in the Palestinian territory since the start of the war with Hamas which controls it.
Negotiations around the release of hostages moving forward
The war was sparked by the Hamas attack on Israeli soil on October 7, unprecedented since the creation of Israel. Around 1,200 people were killed, mainly civilians massacred that day, according to the authorities. In retaliation, Israel vowed to “annihilate” Hamas, relentlessly shelling the Gaza Strip, which was under total siege.
Israeli bombings left 11,500 dead, mostly civilians, including 4,710 children, according to Hamas. Israel also counted some 240 people kidnapped, including foreign nationals, on the day of the Hamas attack on October 7. A hostage gave birth in captivity in the Gaza Strip, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.
While talks are being held under Qatar mediation for the release of the hostages, Joe Biden said he was “relatively optimistic”. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself because I don’t know what happened in the last four hours, but we have had great cooperation from the Qataris,” he said. In a tweet in Hebrew, published overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, Emmanuel Macron indicated that France was putting “all its weight” into freeing the hostages.
Israeli opposition leader calls on Netanyahu to leave office before war ends
In Israel, pressure is increasing on the Netanyahu government as relatives of hostages began a five-day march in Tel Aviv on Tuesday to demand an agreement on their release. On the political front, opposition leader Yair Lapid called for the departure of Benjamin Netanyahu without waiting for the end of the military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“We cannot afford to lead a long (military, editor’s note) campaign with a Prime Minister in whom the population no longer has any confidence,” he declared to channel N12. Yaïr Lapid did not call for new elections but called for Benjamin Netanyahu to be replaced by another member of his party, the Likud, who immediately described such a proposal in “wartime” as “shameful”.
four injured in attack near Jerusalem, three attackers “neutralized”
Israeli police announced Thursday that they had “neutralized” three attackers after a “shootout” near a security checkpoint linking Jerusalem to the occupied West Bank, Israeli emergency services reporting “four gunshot wounds” including “one in critical condition “. An AFP journalist on site heard heavy bursts of automatic weapon fire at this checkpoint.
The Israeli emergency services reported “four gunshot wounds, including a man aged around 20 in very serious condition” in a press release. Two other people were slightly injured. All the injured were members of the security services. For its part, the Israeli police assure that “three terrorists arriving by car from the West Bank fired on the security forces” before being “neutralized”.
UN wants international investigation into violations of humanitarian law
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Thursday reported “extremely serious allegations” of violations of international law in the war between Israel and Hamas and called for an international investigation.
“The extremely serious allegations of multiple and serious violations of international humanitarian law, regardless of their perpetrators, demand rigorous investigation and establishment of responsibilities,” said Volker Türk, during a briefing of member countries on his recent trip in the Middle East, adding that “an international investigation is necessary”.