Twenty trucks carrying humanitarian aid eventually entered the Gaza Strip. An “important step,” as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz noted, but which in itself “will not change the catastrophic medical conditions,” said Hamas, the Islamist organization that controls the area under Israeli siege. After a day full of speeches by heads of state and government in Cairo during a peace summit, Tel Aviv gave the opposite signal by announcing the intensification of attacks.
At the meeting in the Egyptian capital, the United Nations Secretary-General called for a “humanitarian ceasefire” in the war between Israel and Hamas fighters, demanding “actions that will put an end to this horrible nightmare.” António Guterres stated that the Palestinian enclave is experiencing “a human catastrophe,” with thousands dead and 1.4 million displaced as a result of Israeli forces’ response to the terrorist attack on the 7th, which cut off access to essential goods. Warn the population to leave the north and bomb the densely populated area. According to the latest report from Gaza authorities, there were 4,469 deaths and more than 13,000 injuries.
But Guterres’ call fell on deaf ears. After Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant explained the day before that the military operation against Hamas will consist of three phases, the Israeli Defense Forces spokesman said that the number of bombings will increase. “We must enter the next phase of the war under the best conditions, not according to what we are told. From today [ontem]”We are stepping up attacks and minimizing the danger,” said Admiral Daniel Hagari.
This increase in the number of attacks fits into the first of the three phases presented by Gallant, with air strikes and later ‘Israeli maneuvers’, the ground invasion for which tens of thousands of soldiers and hundreds of tanks are mobilized along the Gaza border.
With the presence of high dignitaries from twenty countries, in addition to the President of the European Council Charles Michel, and the head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrell, the summit organized by the Egyptian regime exposed the inability to bring together all relevant parties . Israel and the United States did not send any representatives – nor was it possible to reach a consensus text.
While European representatives expressed concern for Palestinian civilians and compliance with international humanitarian law, they demanded “a clear condemnation, placing responsibility for the escalation on Hamas,” which Arab leaders refused, according to sources consulted by AFP . According to the New York TimesThe point of contention was Israel’s right to self-defense.
Without consensus, the Egyptian presidency released a statement approved by Arab countries, criticizing world leaders for not “meeting the lowest aspirations of a suffering people.” The king of Jordan did not spare criticism of the West. “The message the Arab world hears is very clear. The lives of Palestinians are less important than those of Israelis. Our lives are less important than those of others. The application of international law is optional, and human rights have limits: they stop at borders, they stop at races and they stop at religions,” said Abdullah II.
The day had started on a more optimistic note, as two dozen trucks carrying medical supplies, canned food, blankets and mattresses were cleared to cross the Rafah border. There are another hundred trucks waiting, but that is not enough to serve so many people. According to Michael Ryan, WHO’s emergency director, 2,000 trucks of aid would be needed. The caravan was not carrying fuel, water or clothing. Before the 7th, an average of 500 vehicles per day passed through the Egypt-Gaza border post.
In light of these data and after warning that Tel Aviv would intensify attacks, five United Nations agencies declared that the human situation in the Gaza Strip is “catastrophic,” calling on the WHO, UNICEF, the World Food Program, UNDP and UNFPA to more action. international aid.
About the hostages held by Hamas, a source from the Qatari Foreign Ministry told the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag which could be released “very soon” as a result of ongoing talks between Doha and Hamas.
Tel Aviv responds to Greta Thunberg
Arrested in London on Tuesday during a demonstration outside a meeting of oil and gas industry executives, activist Greta Thunberg published a photo on social media on Friday, declaring that she was “on Gaza’s side” (already in 2021 he criticized the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza).
This time, the official Israeli account responded to But the young Swedish woman, also known for her social media debates with politicians, did not back down.
Source: DN
