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The United States warned this Thursday that any Israeli military operation in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, where more than a million people take refuge, would be a "disaster."
“We would not support carrying out something like this without serious and credible planning regarding the more than one million people taking refuge there, as well as without considering the impacts on humanitarian assistance and the safe departure of foreign nationals,” said State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel.
Despite the fact that Israel has bombed Rafah during the day, and the rejection of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of the latest Hamas ceasefire proposal;
The mediators between his government and Hamas are redoubling efforts to achieve a ceasefire that allows the exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
A Hamas delegation has been in Cairo since this morning to resume talks.
The facilitators – Egypt and Qatar, but also the United States – demand “flexibility” from both parties.
Throughout the day, dozens of civilians have died in both Gaza City (north) and Khan Yunis and Rafah (south) in the offensive that the Israeli army has maintained in the Strip for 125 days, according to local health sources.
The Gaza Health Ministry, controlled by Hamas, today raised the number of victims in the Strip since October 7 to 27,840 deaths - most of them children and women.
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The country
Iran's foreign minister plans to visit Lebanon and Syria
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian plans to travel to Lebanon and Syria to discuss various regional issues, according to Iranian and Syrian media.
The legation will be in Lebanon on Friday, according to Tehran media, to go to Damascus at the beginning of next week, according to the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan, close to the ruling party.
This medium has stated that the topics to be discussed include the Israeli attacks in Syria, as well as the war in Gaza, and that later the Iranian politician will travel to Qatar.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard withdrew some of its officers from Syria last week, following a series of Israeli strikes that had killed senior commanders.
Since December, Israeli strikes have killed more than a dozen members of the Iranian corps, including a top intelligence general.
“We will not take any steps without coordination with the Government, and we will be present wherever the Syrian side asks us to be.
We are present in Syria with the same force, and we have never withdrawn," Iran's ambassador to Syria, Hossein Akbari, said this Thursday. (Reuters)
ACT.8 FEB 2024 - 22:04
The country
Egypt resumes talks with Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Cairo this Friday
Egypt resumes talks this Friday, separately, with Hamas and Islamic Jihad in order to reach a unified position, which will later be discussed in a tripartite round, on the demands of the Palestinian factions regarding a truce in Gaza that is acceptable to Israel, according to Egyptian security sources.
According to these voices, who requested anonymity, officials from the Egyptian General Intelligence Service had already met separately today in Cairo with representatives of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad delegation.
In this new round, under the sponsorship of Egypt and Qatar, Egyptian intelligence officials tried to "bring closer points of view" in the face of the "great gap between the demands of Hamas and the Jihad."
Given Israel's rejection of the proposal, the mediators have called for a new round for Friday.
(Efe)
ACT.8 FEB 2024 - 21:43
The country
Washington says two Americans have been detained by Israel in Gaza
The US State Department has stated that it is handling reports that two Americans were detained in Gaza by Israeli forces in a raid on Thursday.
Although those arrested have not been identified;
The families of Hashem Alagha, 20, and Borak Alagha, 18, both Palestinian Americans, have said the brothers had been detained in a raid on a home west of the city of Khan Younis on the morning of today Thursday.
According to the brothers' cousin, Yasmeen Alagha, who lives near Chicago, four other relatives were also detained, including the brothers' Canadian father and an uncle who has a disability.
In a statement, a State Department spokesperson said additional information was being sought.
The Israeli military has not commented on the matter.
The Alagha family sued the Biden Administration in December, alleging that the government has not done enough to evacuate Americans trapped in Gaza.
The State Department says it has helped about 1,300 Palestinian-Americans leave the Strip.
Several US families have also litigated against the Government, alleging that the United States has not taken steps to organize flights dedicated to assisting or securing the departure of some 900 US citizens and their families who remain trapped in Gaza.
(Reuters)
ACT.8 FEB 2024 - 21:12
The country
Russian war in Ukraine
Aid to Ukraine takes a step forward in the US Senate
Macarena Vidal Liy
The hope that the United States will eventually renew its aid to Ukraine remains alive.
This Thursday, the US Senate approved voting on an allocation of $95 billion that will be allocated to Kiev, Israel and Taiwan, a day after knocking down a bill that combined these funds with immigration reform.
The measure needed the support of at least 60 of the 100 seats in the Senate to be debated in plenary and decide whether to approve it or not.
It received the support of 67 senators, while 32 spoke against it.
Now the full Senate must debate the measure and vote on it to approve it.
Although the final result is unknown, the support obtained in this preliminary vote indicates that the party has a real chance of moving forward in the Upper House.
If so, it will go to the House of Representatives, which must decide whether to approve it or not.
Its future there is uncertain: it is not clear whether the president of the House, Republican Mike Johnson, will agree to present it for consideration.
Senators approve putting it to a vote, a day after rejecting a bill that combined it with immigration reform
ACT.8 FEB 2024 - 20:48
The country
What has happened in the last few hours
These are the most relevant news about Israel's military offensive in Gaza and the escalation in the Middle East at 8:30 p.m. this Thursday, February 8:
Israel focuses on southern Gaza: after Khan Younis, it targets Rafah.
The Israeli military is "dismantling" Hamas infrastructure in Khan Younis and believes the head of the Palestinian faction in Gaza is hiding there, a senior military officer has said.
Progress in Khan Younis has led Israel to describe Rafah, further south along the border with Egypt, as the next target for a land sweep.
In fact, today, Israel has carried out several air raids on Rafah.
The United States warns that an Israeli incursion into Rafah would be a "disaster."
The United States has warned that any Israeli military operation in Rafah, where more than a million people are taking refuge, without planning or little consideration would be a "disaster."
“We would not support doing something like this without serious planning, as well as without considering the impacts on humanitarian assistance,” said State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel.
The Red Crescent warns that the lives of 80 wounded are in danger at the Al Amal hospital.
The lives of some 80 wounded admitted to the Al Amal hospital in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, are "in danger" due to lack of oxygen and the impossibility of carrying out operations in the center, besieged by the Israeli army, according to has denounced the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Egypt's intelligence services seek to reactivate talks to reach a ceasefire.
A Hamas delegation has been in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, since Thursday morning to continue negotiations on a possible ceasefire agreement and exchange of captives with Israel, the group reported in a statement.
The king of Jordan begins a tour of the United States and other Western countries seeking support for a truce in Gaza.
The King of Jordan, Abdullah II, has left for the United States at the beginning of a diplomatic tour, which will also stop in Canada, France and Germany.
"The aim of the tour is to mobilize international support for a ceasefire in Gaza, protect civilians and provide humanitarian aid," the Royal Palace reported.
A German frigate leaves for the Red Sea to join the European mission against the Houthi attacks.
The German frigate Hessen has left the port of Wilhelmshaven (in the north) to join the European mission in the Red Sea in the face of Houthi attacks.
The frigate is expected to arrive at its destination at the end of February.
The frigate will participate in Operation Aspides to "protect commercial navigation and the freedom of sea lanes," according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense.
Reporters Without Borders denounces that Israel eradicates Palestinian journalists in Gaza with "impunity."
At least 84 Palestinian journalists have died in Gaza in four months of war, 20 of them while carrying out their work, Reporters Without Borders has reported.
"In four months of conflict, Palestinian journalism has been decimated by the Israeli Armed Forces with complete impunity," they noted.
The UN warns of the growing risk of famine in the Gaza Strip.
The risk of famine in the Gaza Strip increases every day, particularly in the northern part of the enclave, where some 300,000 people have been cut off from assistance.
“The last time the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees [UNRWA] was able to carry out a food distribution in northern Wadi Gaza was on January 23,” details the United Nations Humanitarian Aid Coordination Office.
ACT.8 FEB 2024 - 20:30
The country
Israel focuses on southern Gaza: after Khan Younis, it targets Rafah
The Israeli Armed Forces are "dismantling" Hamas infrastructure in Khan Younis, more than two months after entering the main city in the southern Gaza Strip, and believe the head of the Palestinian faction in Gaza is hiding there, a high-ranking military officer said this Thursday.
Progress in Khan Younis has led Israel to describe Rafah, further south and along Gaza's border with Egypt, as the next target for a ground sweep by troops and tanks.
In fact, today, Israel has carried out several air raids on Rafah.
Most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents are now sheltering in the area, after being displaced from other places in four months of fighting, fearing they will be next in the line of fire.
The situation in Rafah, after Khan Younis, the largest city in the south, is also being watched by Cairo, which has ruled out allowing any refugees to leave through the fence into the Sinai Peninsula.
A senior Israeli military officer has stated that operations in Khan Younis to destroy Hamas and recover any hostages who may be there will continue as long as necessary, whether “two hours, two days, two weeks or two months, or even more".
Israeli troops have killed 2,000 fighters, wounded 4,000 and captured “hundreds,” in the words of the officer, who requested anonymity.
“The Khan Yunis Brigade was the most powerful Hamas had.
“We are dismantling it, layer by layer,” he added.
He has also detailed how attacks by Palestinian fighters are increasingly random, suggesting a loss of command and control.
Khan Yunis is the birthplace of Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahia Sinwar, mastermind of the October 7 wave of murders and kidnappings in southern Israel that sparked the war.
“Without a doubt he is in Khan Yunis, along with some of the remaining Hamas leaders,” the Israeli military man maintained.
The Israeli army has published images of alleged Hamas tunnels discovered in Khan Younis, with living spaces and cells, in which they are assumed to have held hostages.
The Israeli army estimates that 228 soldiers were killed and 1,314 wounded in ground operations in the Strip, which began on October 20.
(Reuters)
ACT.8 FEB 2024 - 19:44
The United States warns that an Israeli incursion into Rafah would be a "disaster"
The United States warned this Thursday that any Israeli military operation in Rafah, where more than a million people are taking refuge, without planning or with little consideration would be a "disaster."
"We would not support carrying out something like this without serious and credible planning regarding the more than one million people taking refuge there, as well as without considering the impacts on humanitarian assistance and the safe departure of foreign nationals!" said State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel.
Patel added that the United States had seen no evidence that Israel had carried out serious planning for such an operation.
(Reuters)
ACT.8 FEB 2024 - 19:29
The country
The Red Crescent warns that the lives of 80 injured are in danger at Al Amal hospital
The lives of some 80 wounded still admitted to the Al Amal hospital in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, are "in danger" due to lack of oxygen and the impossibility of carrying out operations in the center, besieged by the Israeli army. as reported by the Palestinian Red Crescent this Thursday in a statement.
The risk for these people is due to "the total exhaustion of oxygen in the hospital for days and the inability of medical teams to perform surgical operations, since work has completely stopped in the operating rooms" due to the lack of medical supplies .
In addition, fuel reserves - key to powering the generators and having electricity - "will be exhausted in just four days," according to the humanitarian organization.
The Red Crescent recalls that the Al Amal hospital has been under siege by the Israel Defense Forces for 18 days, which also prevents emergency services from moving there.
There are about 200 people in the medical center, including the injured, displaced elderly and health personnel after about 8,000 people who were taking refuge there evacuated it on Monday.
(Efe)
ACT.8 FEB 2024 - 17:51
Marc Spanish
Egypt's intelligence services seek to reactivate ceasefire talks
A delegation from the Palestinian movement Hamas has been in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, since Thursday morning to continue negotiations on a possible ceasefire agreement and exchange of captives with Israel, as reported by the group in a release.
The delegation is headed by leader Jalil Al Hayya, a member of the Hamas political bureau and number two of the movement in the Gaza Strip.
The new round of talks, which could last several days, has started after Cairo urged the parties involved in the negotiation to show “flexibility” to resolve the situation, as reported on Wednesday, citing an official source, the network local Al Qahera News, close to the Egyptian authorities.
The Hamas delegation is scheduled to meet with the head of Egyptian Intelligence, Abbas Kamel, one of the architects of the proposed ceasefire agreement outlined between Egypt, Qatar, the United States and Israel in Paris at the end of January.
Amendments to the proposal subsequently raised by Hamas, which did not participate in the summit in the French capital, were branded “delusional” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday.
ACT.8 FEB 2024 - 17:29
The country
Israel bombs southern Lebanon again after Hezbollah attack that wounded three of its soldiers
The Israeli armed forces announced this Thursday that "after the numerous attacks from Lebanon towards the areas of Metula and Mount Hermon, in northern Israel, our artillery has responded with attacks on the origin of the shots."
This morning's attacks injured three Israeli soldiers, one of them seriously.
ACT.8 FEB 2024 - 14:48
The country
The king of Jordan begins a tour of the US and other Western countries in search of support for a truce in Gaza
The King of Jordan, Abdullah II, left this Thursday for the United States at the beginning of a tour that will also take him to Canada, France and Germany, in search of international support for a ceasefire in Gaza and increased humanitarian aid. to the civilian population, the Royal Palace reported.
"The objective of the tour is to mobilize international support for a ceasefire in Gaza, protect civilians and provide permanent and sufficient humanitarian aid," the monarchical institution said in a statement.
The Jordanian king, whose country signed peace with Israel in 1994 and is notable for hosting Palestinian refugees, will also "emphasize the importance of finding a political horizon that leads to a comprehensive solution that ends the Palestinian-Israeli conflict."
In Washington, the Hashemite monarch will meet with the President of the United States, Joe Biden, with other officials of the US Administration and with several members of the Senate and the House of Representatives of Congress, while in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Abdullah II will also travel to Paris, where he will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron.
In Germany he plans to participate in the sixtieth session of the Munich Security Conference, during which he will meet with several senior Western officials.
Jordan has on several occasions rejected a possible displacement of the inhabitants of Gaza to its territory or that of Egypt in the face of the siege and the Israeli offensive in the Strip, which has left more than 27,000 dead.
(EFE)
ACT.8 FEB 2024 - 14:33