Seven hostages killed in Israeli strikes, according to Hamas, 50 million euros released by the European Union for UNRWA, despite the controversy over the involvement of its personnel in the October 7 attack, France requests a independent investigation after the events in Gaza on Thursday...
Le Figaro
takes stock of the situation between Israel and Hamas.
Paris judges Israeli authorities
“
accountable
”
for the situation in Gaza
French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné castigated the Israeli authorities, whom he considers responsible for blocking humanitarian aid in Gaza and
"accounting for
" "unjustifiable"
situations
, in an interview with the French daily
Le Monde
published on Saturday.
“The responsibilities for blocking aid are clearly Israeli
,” emphasizes Stéphane Séjourné, noting that the catastrophic humanitarian situation
“creates indefensible and unjustifiable situations for which the Israelis are accountable
. ”
France has redoubled its efforts with the Israeli authorities to increase the number of crossing points and humanitarian trucks.
But they
“were not satisfied”
and
“the famine adds to the horror
,” deplores the head of French diplomacy who visited the region a month ago.
Read alsoIn Gaza, the deadly hunger riot sparks a storm of criticism against Israel
The United States will participate in humanitarian aid drops on Gaza, Biden announces
US President Joe Biden said on Friday that the United States would participate with partner countries
“in the coming days”
in humanitarian aid drops in the Gaza Strip besieged by the Israeli army.
“In the coming days, we will join our friends by carrying out humanitarian airdrops”
on Gaza, he said while receiving the head of the Italian government Giorgia Meloni at the White House.
Hamas says seven hostages died in Israeli strikes in Gaza
The armed wing of Hamas said Friday evening that seven hostages held in the Gaza Strip had died in recent weeks in Israeli
“bombings”
on the Palestinian territory.
“In recent weeks, we have confirmed the death of a number of our fighters and that of seven enemy prisoners in the Gaza Strip following Zionist bombardments
,” Abu Obeida, the spokesman, said in a statement. word of the al-Qassam brigades, the armed wing of the Islamist movement Hamas.
Hamas fighters claimed that three hostages, of whom the Islamist movement had released a video on Thursday, were among the seven dead.
They said the names of the four other deceased hostages would be revealed when they were
“confirmed”
.
It was not possible on Friday to confirm these presumed deaths from an independent source.
The al-Qassam brigades made the announcement shortly after the start of Shabbat, a weekly break in Jewish tradition, and against the backdrop of talks for a new truce in the fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The European Union will release 50 million euros for UNRWA
The EU will release
“at the beginning of next week”
50 million in aid to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), the European Commission announced on Friday, before the subsequent release of an additional 32 million.
At the end of January, the European Union called for an audit of the functioning of UNRWA, after accusations of the possible involvement of some of its employees in the October 7 attack in Israel.
The Commission then clarified that it would decide whether or not to suspend its funding, depending on the results of the UN investigation.
Brussels
“welcomed”
on Friday this UN investigation and the creation of an
“independent group”
intended to evaluate UNRWA and its
“neutrality”
, according to a press release.
The Commission also indicated that it had
“reached an agreement with UNRWA”
.
The agency said it was
“prepared for a review of its employees to be conducted to confirm that none participated in the attacks”
and
“for additional controls to be established to limit this risk to the future"
.
According to a Commission spokesperson, this review will cover UNRWA employees in both Gaza and the West Bank.
UNRWA also
“agreed to the launch of an audit by external experts appointed by the EU”
with a view to examining
“control systems to prevent
the possible involvement of its staff
and funds in activities terrorists
.
Finally, the agency
“agrees to strengthen its internal investigations department”
.
Beyond its support for UNRWA, the European Commission also announced on Friday that it would allocate an additional 68 million euros in emergency aid to the Palestinians in 2024.
France calls for independent investigation after events in Gaza
The French Minister of Foreign Affairs called on Friday for an independent investigation into the death, announced by Hamas, of more than 110 people during a food aid distribution in Gaza after Israeli fire.
“I want to be very clear today, we will ask for explanations and there will need to be an independent investigation to determine what happened
,” Stéphane Séjourné said on France Inter radio.
The minister stressed that there could not be
“double standards”
in France's reactions.
“France says things.
She says things when it comes to calling Hamas terrorist.
But she must also say things when atrocities are happening in Gaza
,” he commented.
Stéphane Séjourné also stressed that if an investigation were to lead to qualifying these facts as war crimes,
“obviously, justice will have to rule”
.
He also expressed his indignation at the idea that people were dying of starvation in Gaza.
It’s
“unbearable for us”
.
Reactions multiply after the events in Gaza
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday she was
“deeply disturbed by the images”
showing Israeli fire and a large stampede.
“Every effort must be made to investigate what happened while ensuring transparency.
Humanitarian aid is a lifeline for those who need it, access to it must be guaranteed
,” she said on X.
“We stand with civilians and call for their protection in accordance with international law,” she said
. insisted the head of the European executive.
The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, for his part denounced
“new carnage” and
“totally unacceptable”
deaths
.
“Shocked and revolted by the murder yesterday of innocent civilians in Gaza while they were desperately waiting for humanitarian aid
,” reacted Charles Michel, President of the Council, the body bringing together EU member states.
“International law does not allow double standards.
An independent investigation must be launched immediately, those responsible must be held accountable
,” he added, calling for
“urgently a ceasefire”
to be established for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
“
The Great Mosque of Paris
expresses its deep indignation at the tragic events”
that occurred during this distribution, said rector Chems-eddine Hafiz in a press release.
Joining
“the many voices that have been raised to condemn these criminal acts”
, the rector considered that Emmanuel Macron’s declarations
“are steps in the right direction”
.
Hafiz called on
“all mosques in France to unite their prayers in a common prayer of the absent on this Friday, in order to demonstrate our solidarity and our support towards the bereaved families and the people of Gaza”
.
He also called
for “an immediate ceasefire”
and urged the international community
“to redouble their efforts to end this spiral of violence.”
Italy
and
Spain
condemned the drama in Gaza, deeming
a ceasefire
“urgent” .
Germany called on Israel to
“conduct a full investigation”
and called for a
“humanitarian truce”
.
China
called for a
“ceasefire”
and to guarantee the entry of humanitarian aid into the territory, subject to the green light from Israel.
Heavyweight in the Arab world,
Saudi Arabia
condemned
“the targeting of defenseless civilians by the occupying forces”.
Qatar,
one of the main mediators in the war, called for
"international action to immediately end (Israeli) aggression
. "
The UN Security Council met urgently and behind closed doors, after the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres,
“shocked”
, pleaded for
“an effective independent investigation”
.
Biden
“hopes”
for a ceasefire by Ramadan
Joe Biden said Friday that he
"hopes"
a ceasefire in Gaza could happen by Ramadan, the Muslim holy month that begins on the evening of March 10 or 11. Asked by reporters about the possibility of an agreement on a truce in Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages by this date, the American president replied:
“I hope so, we are still working a lot on the subject.
We're not there yet."
Hamas Health Ministry announces new death toll of 30,228
The Hamas Health Ministry announced Friday a new toll of 30,228 people killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement.
He also reported, in a press release, 193 deaths and 920 injured over the last 24 hours, and a total of 71,377 injured since October 7.
Figures impossible to confirm as they stand.