2024-05-14 10:30:12
In the midst of agreements with Hamas to reach a truce in Palestinian territory, after seven months of war, Israel bombed this wednesday Gaza Strip and once again launched “selective” ground operations in the southern area of Rafah.
The indirect negotiations resumed on Tuesday in Cairo, with the presence of Israeli representatives and the islamist movement, as well as the mediating countries (Qatar, Egypt and the United States).
The Egyptian environment Al Qahera Newsclose to the intelligence services, indicated that there were “points of disagreement” during the conversations, but also a certain “convergence” between both sides.
Hours before its restart, and despite international warnings, Israeli tanks took control of the Palestinian side of the border crossing between Egypt y Rafah, main entry point for humanitarian aid to the territory where 2.4 million Palestinians live without food, medicine and fuel.
An officer of the Israeli army indicated that another crossing, that of Kerem Shalom, Also in the south, it was attacked by rockets launched from Rafah hours after its reopening and that a soldier was injured.
The step of Kerem Shalom It had been closed for three days after a rocket attack on Sunday, which killed four soldiers.
UNRWA, the Agency for HIM for Palestinian Refugees, specified that the crossing remained closed, after the Israeli army indicated that aid would re-enter through the crossing, after being inspected.
THE STRIP UNDER FIRE
The United States considered the closure of the crossings “unacceptable” and the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that they prevented the HIM bring fuel to the territory.
“The hospitals in southern Gaza have only three days of fuel left, which means they will soon stop working,” warned the head of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Washington last week stopped shipments of certain bombs to Israel due to “concerns” about an offensive against Rafah, a senior US official said on condition of anonymity.
The US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, confirmed the information this Wednesday.
The United States, the UN and the European Union They urge Israel to give up its plans to invade Rafah – where 1.4 million Palestinians are crowded, mainly displaced by the war, according to the UN -, for fear of a bloodbath.
In Jerusalem, CIA Director Bill Burns met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the “possibility of Israel stopping the operation in Rafah in exchange for the release of hostages,” one official said.
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2024-05-14 10:30:12