2023-10-20 20:17:36
To better understand the latest events in the conflict between the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and Israel, 20 Minutes takes stock every evening. Between the strong declarations, the diplomatic advances or the dramatic results of the fighting, here are the main points of the day.
News of the day
An American woman and her daughter were able to leave the Gaza Strip. Hostages of Hamas since the terrorist attack of October 7, the two nationals were released “for humanitarian reasons, following mediation from Qatar and to prove to the American people and the world that Mr. Biden’s assertions and its fascist administration are false and baseless,” the military spokesperson for the Islamist movement said in a statement. An information confirmed by the Israeli press. Some 200 Israeli, foreign or binational hostages were kidnapped in Israel and taken to Gaza by Hamas fighters.
The number of the day
30. This is the number of French nationals who were killed in Hamas attacks against Israel. The toll has risen again, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday. “France deplores the tragic death of new French nationals, which brings the toll of French victims to 30” in these attacks, said a press release from the Quai d’Orsay.
The toll increased by two additional victims, while the number of missing remains unchanged. “It is now confirmed that some of them are hostages of Hamas,” the text adds. The spokesperson for the Quai d’Orsay refused Thursday during a press conference to communicate the exact number of French people taken hostage to preserve their security.
Sentence of the day
Everything will be done to ensure that they return safe and sound to France. »
This is a promise from Emmanuel Macron to the families of French hostages from Hamas in the Gaza Strip. France will do everything “to ensure that they return safe and sound,” reported the Elysée. “I say it here to everyone: France is not abandoning its own people. We are doing everything possible to obtain the release and return of our compatriots. The Nation stands by their side,” declared the Head of State on X following a videoconference with these families.
According to the presidency, he “assured them of his full mobilization as well as that of all state services to obtain their release”. “The President of the Republic reiterated to the families his support and that of all French people in the face of this terrible ordeal and his determination to fight tirelessly against all forms of terrorism,” she added.
Today’s trend
Humanitarian aid has still not entered the Gaza Strip. Joe Biden estimates that the first trucks will arrive in the “next 24 to 48 hours”. In the meantime, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is at the Rafah crossing point, the only opening into the Palestinian enclave that is not in the hands of Israel, to prepare for his arrival. Because if for days planes from all over the world have been bringing food or medical aid, none of these loads has so far been able to enter Gaza where the death toll from Israeli bombings stands at at least 4,137 dead, including 1,500 children. , according to local authorities.
“We are actively engaging with Egypt, Israel and the United States to ensure that trucks can cross as quickly as possible,” Antonio Guterres said at a press conference in Rafah.
Israel categorically refuses to open its border crossings with Gaza but the United States managed to convince the authorities to give the green light to sending aid from Egypt, via the Rafah crossing. On Friday, the UN chief spoke of “verifications which must be effective while being rapid”. Israel clarified that it would ensure that aid did not reach Hamas but only to “civilians” in the “south of the Gaza Strip.”
#toll #French #victims #rises #American #hostages #released