FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
JERUSALEM — Hhe used cell phones to call friends, family, to say they were still alive down there. Rescuers have moved the concrete blocks of what are among the most elegant buildings in Gaza, Rimal, a residential neighborhood that slopes down to the sea, had been spared in past clashes.
The youngest was 3 years old
This time, in a single attack, the explosions killed 42 people, including 10 children, the youngest was three years old. Almost all of them are part of the same extended family, the Al-Kolaks. Middle-class neighborhood, as far as it can exist in the Strip: two doctors from the Shifa hospital, which in this week of war welcomed most of the 1,500 wounded, have died in total, more than 190 have been buried in the rubble. he army said that in Rimal the missiles hit a tunnel system dug by Hamas and the collapse of the underground tunnels involved civilian homes.
Netanyahu’s words
Benjamin Netanyahu is interviewed by the American Sunday morning programs. He explains that his government shared intelligence information about the destroyed building in Gaza from where the agency worked with the White House. Associated Press and the issuer Al Jazeera: It was a legitimate target, Hamas operatives were hiding among the reporters’ offices. There Ap he replied that he had always checked the presences in the building precisely to avoid infiltration.
The Hamas rockets
In a week the fundamentalists – who have dominated the Strip since 2007 – fired nearly 3,000 rockets target Israeli cities: over half of those launched in 51 days of war in the summer of 2014. Yesterday they continued to target the south of the country, 10 Israelis killed from the start. Prime Minister Netanyahu repeats: We will go on as long as necessary. Military analysts explain that it was the generals who asked for a few more days. This is confirmed by Aviv Kochavi, the Chief of Staff: The leaders of Hamas made a serious error of assessment when they attacked us. They did not expect this response from us: now let’s go ahead with our plan, the next steps are already defined. Among the objectives of this campaign: to hit the leaders of the organization, even their properties. A missile destroyed Yahia Sinwar’s house in Khan Younis, where he lives – in these days hidden – and grew up.
Diplomacy
Netanyahu and Kochavi know that diplomatic pressure is growing. They must also prevent other fronts from widening: in East Jerusalem a Palestinian threw his car on a checkpoint, 7 soldiers wounded, was killed. The Egyptians continue mediation to stop the fighting and Jordanian King Abdallah II confirms that he is involved in the negotiations. Hady Amr, the American envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian question, arrived in Jerusalem to bring Joe Biden’s message: we support your right to defend yourselves but the time to think about the later. The president – who has yet to appoint his ambassador to Israel – is not only thinking about the truce with the fundamentalists in Gaza: Amr met with Abu Mazen, the White House wants negotiations with the Palestinian Authority – hibernating since 2014 – to restart.
The UN and the Pope
The UN Security Council met: We are committed to obtaining an immediate ceasefire, explained Secretary General Antonio Guterres. the most serious clash in recent years, comments Tor Wennesland, UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process since January. Pope Francis too launches an appeal: Among the victims there are also children, and this is terrible and unacceptable. Their death is a sign that they do not want to build the future. I wonder where the hatred and violence will lead. Do we really think we are building peace by destroying the other ?.
May 16, 2021 (change May 16, 2021 | 11:07 pm)
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