The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas announced on Tuesday that it was studying a proposed truce of several weeks in the fighting and air raids in Gaza, accompanied by the release of dozens of Israeli hostages. For its part, Israel announced that a date had been set for an offensive on Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, despite opposition from Washington...
Le Figaro
takes stock of the situation in Gaza, this Tuesday April 9, 2024
Hamas says it is studying a draft truce agreement in Gaza
Six months after the start of the war, the mediating countries of Qatar, Egypt and the United States have put on the table a three-stage proposal, the first of which provides for a six-week truce, a source said. within Hamas.
Saying that it
“appreciates”
the efforts of the mediators and
“wishes”
for an agreement, the movement indicated in a statement on Tuesday that the Israelis
“had not responded to any”
of their requests without further details.
“Despite this, the leadership of the movement is studying the proposal (...) and will inform the mediators of its response
,” added the movement at a time when Palestinians are preparing for Eid al-Fitr on Wednesday, celebrations marking the end of the month of Ramadan, particularly difficult this year in Gaza.
Also readIn the ruins of the bombings, Gazans struggle to preserve a semblance of dignity
In addition to a six-week ceasefire, the proposal also initially provides for the release of 42 Israeli hostages in exchange for 800 to 900 Palestinians detained in Israel, the entry of 400 to 500 trucks of food aid per day and the return home of residents of the northern Gaza Strip displaced by the war, according to the Hamas source. Hamas demands a definitive ceasefire, the Israeli withdrawal from all of Gaza and the delivery of more aid for the local population threatened with famine according to the UN.
Israel sets date for Rafah offensive
The Israeli Prime Minister announced that a date had been set for an offensive on Rafah, one of the last bastions according to him of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“It will be done – there is a date
,” he said in a video message, six months after the start of the war, without giving the date. Almost immediately after this announcement, the United States reaffirmed its opposition to this operation in this Egyptian border town where nearly a million and a half Palestinians are crowded together, in very precarious conditions.
“We have made it clear to Israel that we believe that a massive military invasion of Rafah would have an extremely harmful effect on these civilians and would ultimately harm Israel's security
,” he told reporters. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller. Several Israeli officials reaffirmed this assault plan after Sunday's announcement of the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Khan Younes, a town in the south of the territory, the epicenter of fighting between the army and Hamas, which took power in Gaza in 2007. .
Also readIsrael-Hamas War: Joe Biden says he could condition aid to Israel
Macron, Sissi and Abdallah II call for “immediate”
ceasefire
, warn against offensive in Rafah
French Presidents Emmanuel Macron, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi and Jordanian King Abdullah II called on Monday for an “immediate”
ceasefire
and a release of
“all hostages”
in Gaza and warned Israel against
“dangerous consequences”
of an offensive in Rafah.
“The war in Gaza and the catastrophic human suffering it causes must end immediately
,” they write in a column published in four newspapers, French (
Le Monde
), American (
Washington Post
), Jordanian (
Al-Raï
) and Egyptian. (
Al-Ahram
).
“Faced with the intolerable number of victims (...) we emphasize the urgent need to establish a permanent ceasefire in Gaza
,” they insisted, calling for the
“immediate and unconditional implementation”
of the resolution. of 2728 of the United Nations Security Council in this sense. The three leaders also insist on
“the urgent need to implement the Security Council's call for the immediate release of all hostages”
held by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
Also read: “Gaza, with your eyes open”
Turkey says Israel rejects offer to drop aid on Gaza
Turkey said on Monday that Israel had blocked its request to drop aid on Gaza and announced that it had decided to respond with
“a series of new measures”
against this country. Like other countries, the Turkish Air Force wanted to participate in a humanitarian aid operation with its cargo planes.
“Today we learned that our request, which was welcomed by the Jordanian authorities, was rejected by Israel. “There is no excuse for Israel to block our attempt to parachute aid to starving Gazans
,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said.
“We have decided to take a series of new measures against Israel
,” he added, specifying that these would be announced by the institutions concerned.
Hakan Fidan also said that the retaliation approved by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, will be implemented
“step by step”
and
“without any delay”
.
“These measures will be in place until Israel declares a ceasefire and allows humanitarian aid to arrive in Gaza uninterrupted
,” according to the minister.