As of: February 19, 2024, 9:24 p.m
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The Israeli military continues to attack targets in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, near the Egyptian border.
© Hatem Ali/AP/dpa
The impending offensive in Rafah is leading to clear words from Brussels.
Meanwhile, fighting continues - including in neighboring Lebanon.
The news at a glance.
Tel Aviv/Gaza/Beirut/Brussels - Germany and 25 other EU states are calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza war.
This should lead to a permanent ceasefire, the unconditional release of the hostages and the provision of humanitarian aid, said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
The 26 EU member states also called on Israel not to take military action in Rafah, in the far south of the Gaza Strip.
Critics fear that this could further worsen the already dramatic humanitarian situation in the area.
More than a million civilians currently live in the city - most of them refugees from other parts of the Gaza Strip.
Hungary did not want to support the joint appeal, as the German Press Agency learned from several diplomats.
Hungary is considered particularly Israel-friendly in the EU.
Attack on possible weapons depot in Lebanon
According to Lebanese security sources, at least 14 people were injured in two Israeli air strikes near the coastal town of Ghazieh south of Sidon.
An industrial area about 60 kilometers from the Israeli-Lebanese border was hit.
The Israeli military confirmed the attack.
The target was therefore a weapons depot of the Lebanese Hezbollah militia.
The attack was a response to a drone attack near the Israeli city of Tiberias.
According to initial findings, the drone was launched by Hezbollah, the army said.
It was initially unclear whether the injured in Lebanon were Hezbollah fighters or civilians.
It is the first time since the Gaza war broke out that a town near Sidon, Lebanon's fourth largest city, has been hit.
So far, the Israeli army has mainly attacked targets near the border.
Israeli army takes hospital in Khan Yunis
Over the weekend, the Israeli military also continued its operations against the Islamist Hamas militia in the city of Khan Yunis in the south of the Gaza Strip.
The army took control of Nasser Hospital, one of the larger hospitals in the coastal area.
According to employees, the hospital is no longer functional.
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The army said hundreds of terrorists and terror suspects who were hiding in the clinic had been captured.
Some of them are said to have posed as medical staff.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Joav Galant sees the Islamists' fighting spirit broken after more than four months of war.
“200 terrorists surrendered in Nasser Hospital, dozens more in Amal Hospital,” Galant said at a meeting with army commanders.
“This shows that Hamas has lost its fighting spirit.” The information could not initially be independently verified.
Controversial advance to Rafah
In Rafah, the Israeli army is also preparing to move in to destroy the remaining Hamas battalions and free suspected hostages there.
However, the Israeli government has not yet issued an operational order in this regard.
Military action in the Gaza Strip's southernmost city is highly controversial because it is crowded with 1.3 million Palestinians, most of whom have fled fighting in other parts of the coastal area.
A draft resolution from the United States on the Gaza war indicates that Washington is further distancing itself from Israeli military operations in the south of the Gaza Strip.
The draft resolution for the UN Security Council states that Israel's planned ground offensive in the city of Rafah "would lead to further damage to civilians and their further displacement, possibly also to neighboring countries."
Therefore, “such a large-scale ground offensive should not be carried out under the current circumstances.”
The text also states that a “temporary ceasefire in Gaza is needed as soon as possible.”
The text is available to the German Press Agency.
Hamas: More than 29,000 dead since war began
Since the Gaza war began more than four months ago, more than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip, according to the health authority controlled by the Islamist Hamas.
The authority said 107 Palestinians were killed and 145 others injured within 24 hours.
This means the total number of deaths has risen to at least 29,092.
In addition, more than 69,000 people have been injured in the Gaza Strip since October 7th.
The information could not initially be independently verified.
It is assumed that many bodies are still buried.
According to UN estimates, the majority of those killed were women and minors.
Israel's chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, recently said that the army had "eliminated more than 10,000 terrorists in the Gaza Strip so far, including many commanders."
Netanyahu: Military control over Palestinian areas remains
Even in the event of an agreement with the Palestinians on a two-state solution, Israel claims comprehensive military control over all Palestinian territories.
“In any case, with or without a permanent solution, Israel will maintain full security control over all areas west of the Jordan,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message.
This “of course” includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
As Israel's most important ally, the USA is increasingly supporting the two-state solution, which envisages the peaceful coexistence of Israel and a future Palestinian state.
This should largely extend to the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967, i.e. the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
Washington wants to link the end of the current Gaza war - which is by no means within reach - with the move towards a two-state solution in order to bring lasting peace to the Middle East region.
Marshall plan for the reconstruction of Gaza called for
Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtaje called on the international community to come up with a reconstruction program for the heavily damaged coastal area.
“We need a Marshall Plan for the Gaza Strip,” said Schtaje on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
This plan must consist of three components: emergency aid, reconstruction and a revival of the economy.
“We know from satellite images that 45 percent of the Gaza Strip is destroyed.
That means 281,000 residential units that are completely or partially destroyed.”
A repair could sometimes be possible in weeks or months.
“That means we need a lot of money for this,” Schtaje continued.
An investigation is underway with the United Nations into how the greatest need can be met.
The head of government is in office with his autonomous authority in the West Bank and has no de facto control over the Gaza Strip, which was solely controlled by Hamas until the outbreak of war.
Hearing in The Hague begins
At the start of the hearing on the legality of almost 60 years of Israeli occupation at the International Court of Justice, the Palestinian Foreign Minister called for justice for his people.
Israel has been deliberately violating international law for decades, Riad Malki said at the United Nations' highest court in The Hague.
“The power of law must prevail.”
The UN General Assembly requested a legal opinion from the Court of Justice in 2022.
It is intended to examine to what extent the 57-year occupation is legal and what legal consequences arise from it.
Although the report is not binding, it could further increase international pressure on Israel in the current Gaza war.
dpa