The Gaza Strip, in the grip of a serious humanitarian crisis, remains under fire from the Israeli offensive against Hamas, with no prospect of a truce at the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan on Monday.
Le Figaro
takes stock.
The population is waiting for food
The population of the territory, struck by famine, is desperately waiting for food.
A ship loaded with 200 tonnes of food, chartered by the Spanish NGO Open Arms, was due to leave Cyprus on Sunday for the Palestinian territory but its departure has not been confirmed.
On Sunday, residents flocked to the beach in southern Gaza City hoping to see him arrive.
“I have been waiting since this morning
,” because Monday
“begins the holy month of Ramadan and the situation is tragic
,” one of them, Mohammed Harrara, told AFP.
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Jordan, the United States, France, Belgium and Egypt took part in new humanitarian aid drops into Gaza on Sunday.
But the UN, which warns of an
“almost inevitable widespread famine”
in Gaza, says that airdrops and sending aid by sea cannot replace the land route.
Still no agreement
Despite new discussions in early March in Cairo, the mediating countries - the United States, Qatar and Egypt - were unable to reach an agreement on a truce before the start of Ramadan on Monday.
Hamas leader Ismaïl Haniyeh assured Sunday that the Islamist movement remained
“open to negotiations”
.
A source close to the negotiations, however, told AFP on Sunday
“that there would be an acceleration of diplomatic efforts in the next 10 days”
in order to try to obtain an agreement during the first half of Ramadan.
Hamas is demanding in particular a definitive ceasefire and a withdrawal of Israeli troops before any agreement on the release of hostages still held in Gaza.
Israel is demanding that Hamas provide a precise list of hostages still alive, but the Palestinian movement has said it does not know who among them is
“alive or dead”
.
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The United States fears that the situation could become
“very dangerous”
particularly in East Jerusalem, where the Esplanade des Mosques, the third holiest site in Islam, is located, if fighting continued during Ramadan.
Calls for peace for the start of Ramadan
In Washington, President Joe Biden, who is the subject of growing criticism in the United States for his support for Israel in the face of the growing number of civilian deaths in Gaza, sent a message of solidarity for the start of Ramadan.
“This year, it comes at a time of immense pain
,” declared the American president.
“As Muslims gather around the world in the coming days and weeks to break their fast, the suffering of the Palestinian people will be front and center for many.
It is for me
,” added Joe Biden.
As custodian of two of Islam's holiest sites, Saudi Arabia's King Salman has urged the international community to act.
“We call on the international community to assume its responsibilities to put an end to these heinous crimes and ensure the establishment of safe humanitarian and aid corridors
,” he said in his message published on the occasion of the start of the Ramadan.
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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, for his part, sent
“a special message of solidarity and support to all those suffering from the horrors in Gaza”
.
“In these difficult times, the spirit of Ramadan is a beacon of hope, a reminder of our common humanity
,” he said in a video on the social network X.
Intense strikes on Sunday, major humanitarian crisis
On Sunday, Hamas authorities counted 85 dead in 24 hours in more than 60 strikes that hit central and southern Gaza, including the town of Khan Younes.
The same day, Benjamin Netanyahu defended the continuation of the offensive in Gaza, despite increasingly frank criticism from his American ally.
Joe Biden said Saturday on MSNBC that the Israeli Prime Minister was doing
“more harm than good to Israel”
.
President Biden
“is wrong
,” Benjamin Netanyahu retorted on Sunday in an interview with the newspaper
Politico
.
He claimed to pursue a policy
“supported by an overwhelming majority of Israelis”
and that his compatriots also support his categorical rejection of a Palestinian state.