Laura Laplaud with AFP
modified to
11:25 a.m., June 9, 2024
The Israeli army announced that it had released four hostages from a refugee camp in the center of the Gaza Strip on Saturday during a “special operation”: Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrey Kozlov, 27 years old, and Shlomi Ziv, 41 years old, all four “abducted” from the site of the Nova electro music festival, during the unprecedented attack carried out on Israeli soil by Hamas on October 7, which sparked hostilities , according to the army. An operation considered as “a symbolic turning point” in the conflict by Gilles Kepel, university professor, author of “Holocaustes” published by Plon, guest of the Grand Rendez-vous Europe 1/CNews/Les Échos on Sunday.
“It shows that Benjamin Netanyahu […] has something to put on the table, the release of four hostages. There were scenes of jubilation in Israel yesterday,” he said on Europe 1. According to the university professor, this release reinforces the military strategy of the Israeli Prime Minister, under pressure at home. foreign and internally “This strengthens his position, at least temporarily, at a time when President Biden has insisted that there be a road map aimed at stopping the fighting,” he said.
A conflict that concerns “the whole world and more precisely, the president and candidate Biden”
While diplomatic efforts to achieve a truce stall, American Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected next week in Israel, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan, to “promote a ceasefire proposal” presented recently by President Joe Biden, according to Washington. According to Gilles Kepel, this conflict could have an impact on the result of the American presidential election which will take place on November 5.
“This conflict is not only the conflict in the Middle East, it concerns the whole world. It concerns more precisely the president and candidate Biden. Because for the first time undoubtedly in the history of the United States, except perhaps- being during the world war, an internal political issue is major for the election or re-election or not of President Biden”, analyzed Gilles Kepel at the microphone of Europe 1.
US military announces resumption of humanitarian aid
On Saturday, the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza was able to resume via the temporary American jetty. The United States was thus able to deliver 500 tons of humanitarian aid. The US military also refuted press reports of US support for hostage release operations.