As the Israeli Air Force continues its massive bombing campaign against Islamist Hamas attackers in the Gaza Strip, the acute supply shortage for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have fled south is widening. Egypt’s Rafah border crossing, the only way to bring urgently needed aid to Israel’s closed-off coastal strip, remained closed early Tuesday.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to prevent a conflagration in the Middle East are in full swing: After Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden will also travel to Israel the next day. At the same time, the US has made US military forces operationally ready. However, they are not intended for combat missions, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Here’s what’s happened since Monday:
Israel continues its counterattacks
The Israeli army continues to attack Hamas’ infrastructure and is actively searching for the hideouts of its leaders, army spokesman Jonathan Conricus said early Tuesday morning. The head of Hamas’ Shura Council, Osama Mazini, was killed in an airstrike, the army announced earlier. He was responsible for Hamas prisoners and led terrorist activities against Israel. The Shura Council elects the Hamas Politburo, the highest decision-making body of the organization that governs the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, the Israeli army continues to prepare for a possible ground offensive in Gaza.
Israel says it wants to destroy the ruling Hamas party in the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 1,400 people in the terrorist attack on Israel. In addition, according to the latest information, at least 199 people have been abducted to the Gaza Strip, according to the army. A spokesman for Hamas’ military wing said between 200 and 250 people were believed to have been kidnapped. Two hundred of them are under the control of Hamas, the remaining hostages are under the control of other militant factions. According to information from the Gaza Strip, the number of Palestinians killed has risen to 2,750.
Hope for the opening of the Egyptian border crossing
Given the fate of hundreds of thousands of refugees in the south of the coastal strip, aid workers hope that the Egyptian border crossing at Rafah will open for humanitarian aid. It would be the only way to get aid to the coastal strip closed off by Israel. According to the Egyptian Red Crescent, about 2,000 tons of goods were available for this purpose on Monday. About 150 trucks carrying humanitarian aid were on their way from Al Arish in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula to the Rafah border crossing, eyewitnesses told the German Press Agency early Tuesday morning.
Aid is available for refugees in Gaza
The United Nations stands ready to provide assistance through the Rafah border crossing. A plane carrying aid from the World Health Organization (WHO) has arrived in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, the UN emergency agency Ocha said on Monday. The World Food Program (WFP) now plans to feed 225,000 people in 19 United Nations shelters in the Gaza Strip. The EU plans an airlift for aid organizations in the Gaza Strip. The European Commission announced that the flights should start this week and, for example, bring medicines to Egypt. From there, the aid supplies could be transported further to the Gaza Strip.
The crisis diplomacy continues
Next Tuesday, Chancellor Scholz will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv and meet relatives of hostages from Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the US. Scholz wants to learn more about the situation in the war zone, but also talk about how a wildfire in the region can be prevented. In the evening he travels further to Egypt. The next day, US President Biden also met with Netanyahu in Israel. According to the US government, he traveled to Jordan on the same day to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian head of state Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah II.
US media: US troops ready to support Israel
According to American media, the US has made American military forces operationally ready. About 2,000 soldiers are currently preparing for a possible deployment in support of Israel, the Wall Street Journal reports. There was initially no official confirmation of this. According to reports, the soldiers could take on tasks in logistics or medical fields. They are not intended for combat missions, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The affected US military is currently stationed in the Middle East and abroad, including in Europe. According to information from NBC News, they would not necessarily be deployed in Israel or Gaza, but in neighboring countries to support Israel in the fight against the Islamist Hamas. Republican chairman of the US Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul told CNN that the approach was about deterrence and not a combat mission.
Hamas releases video with hostage
Meanwhile, Hamas has released a video for the first time showing a suspected hostage. In a video distributed Monday, a young woman is seen dressing a wound on her arm and then speaking directly to the camera. “I am 21 years old and from Shoham,” says the woman. She was currently in Gaza and was being treated in a hospital there. According to media reports, it would be an Israeli who also has French nationality. The Israeli army announced on Tuesday evening that she had been kidnapped. The army is in contact with the family. Everything is being done to get the hostages back.
Fighting continues on the border with Lebanon
Meanwhile, the Israeli army in the north is also retaliating against repeated attacks by the pro-Iranian Hezbollah in Lebanon. The army is currently attacking Shiite militia posts, the Israeli army said early Tuesday morning. Army spokesman Conricus emphasized that they responded to the Hezbollah attacks without escalating the situation. In the face of repeated attacks from Hezbollah, Israel has evacuated 28 locations up to two kilometers from the border area and reinforced its forces there.
Iran reiterated its threats against Israel in light of the war between Israel and Hamas. “If Zionist crimes do not stop immediately, new fronts will be opened for them,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amirabdollahian said on state TV on Monday evening. “Stop the crimes against the civilian population before it is too late,” Amirabdollahian said. The foreign minister again rejected any direct involvement by Iran.
The UN Security Council postpones discussions on the resolution
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council postponed a Brazilian resolution on de-escalation in the Middle East until Tuesday. The most powerful UN body is expected to meet again at 6pm New York time (midnight CEST), as the German Press Agency has learned from diplomatic circles. The United Arab Emirates and other states had previously urged further negotiations on the text. Meanwhile, a Russian draft resolution for a “humanitarian ceasefire” and the release of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip failed to gain the required majority from the UN Security Council.
That will be important on Tuesday
Chancellor Scholz will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and family members of hostages in Tel Aviv. The UN Security Council wants to continue its discussions on the Middle East. Meanwhile, there are hopes that the Gaza Strip’s only border crossing into Egypt will be opened to supply the hundreds of thousands of refugees in Gaza. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
