• It is the twentieth day of the war: more than 7,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to figures provided by Hamas. 1,400 of them were Israeli; 224 hostages in the Gaza Strip.
• Hamas representatives visit Moscow. The Kremlin: “We discussed the issue of hostages.” But they don’t see Putin. Israel: “It’s infuriating.”
• The Israeli army: “New local ground incursions into Gaza.”
• Israel at the United Nations: “The war is against Hamas, not against the Palestinians.”
• Words and abbreviations for understanding conflict: Glossary.
• Explain the history of the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.
(Gianluca Mercury) Preparations for the ground attack, the supposed death of fifty hostages under bombs announced by Hamas, Arab protests, and the European settlement on “humanitarian truces.” Point by point:
• The first Israeli ground raids
The Jewish state’s forces and tanks accomplished this A short foray into northern Gaza At night between Wednesday and Thursday. The goal was to destroy Hamas’ anti-tank weapons “Preparing the battlefield” Before the invasion. This is the third Israeli raid since the beginning of the war, after more than two weeks of air strikes that destroyed an area of 365 square kilometers of the Gaza Strip.
• How many deaths are there?
There are certainly thousands: more than 7,000 according to the Hamas Ministry of Health, including more than 2,900 minors and more than 1,500 women. Obviously, data cannot be quickly verified by independent parties, but in the wars of recent years international agencies have confirmed these data over time. “The numbers may not be completely accurate minute-by-minute, but they largely reflect the level of deaths and infections,” Michael Ryan, of the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Program, told the Associated Press.
after that US President Biden said that he does not trust the numbers provided by the Gaza authoritiesThe Ministry of Health responded by publishing a document of more than 200 pages that includes the names of 6,747 deaths, specifying age and sex. Another 281 deaths have not been identified – hence the toll exceeds 7,000 – and hundreds are missing.
As for the Palestinians who were forced to leave their homes, their number so far is one million and four hundred thousand out of a population of two million and three hundred thousand. Half of the displaced are crowded into United Nations shelters. Hundreds of thousands of people remain in the north, despite evacuation orders ordered by the Israelis.
It all started, let us always remember, with the terrorist massacre committed by Hamas on October 7: 1,400 Israelis killed in calculated atrocities, including 1,100 civilians.
• “Fifty hostages killed”
It is Hamas that always says it: If this is true, they would have been victims of bombs capable of destroying underground hideouts of jihadists. If this is true, the fate of the hostages – who were initially about 220 hostages, only 4 of whom have been released (all women) so far – is intertwined in an even more dramatic way with the uncertainties surrounding the negotiations on the one hand and the issue of negotiations. Invasion plans on the other hand.
• what is he talking about? Qatar, a political and economic patron of Hamas like its military patron Iran, is the main subject of the negotiations, and on Wednesday went so far as to declare an imminent “turning point.” The basic idea is always to liberate women, children and the elderly, because Hamas intends to keep the youth and soldiers until the end. Israel can play the card of 100 Palestinian women and minors detained in its prisons.
Much more problematic It is the idea of giving priority to hostages who are not Israeli or have dual citizenship. from the government, Davide Frattini writesThey leaked that “we will not accept the choice among the Jews as in the camps.” Meanwhile, Iran is also intervening: “Hamas is ready to hand over civilians to us.” It is the psychological game through which the jihadists and their allies hoped from the beginning to create division between Westerners and the Israelis themselves.
• What stage has the invasion reached?
according to Wall Street JournalThe Americans received a deadline from Israel until at least the end of this week so that they can deploy defensive systems to protect their forces in the region. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that entry into the Strip is certain, but so far he also prefers to procrastinate, and divisions between members of the government and the army do not appear to have been resolved.
• But what are America’s goals?
Biden and Secretary of State Blinken are trying to convince Israel to gradually destroy Hamas, to limit civilian casualties. They aim to avoid any kind of escalation and outline plans for the future that reopen the prospects of a Palestinian state (here The five American goals and the four types of escalation).
• Two Hamas leaders were killed
According to the Israelis, they are Shadi Baroud, deputy head of Hamas intelligence and the right-hand man of political leader Yahya Sinwar, and Hassan al-Abdullah, who is responsible for the teams that fire rockets toward Israel. It is, as Lorenzo Cremonesi explains, “a brutal manhunt aimed at depriving the jihadist organization of key figures dedicated to directing and encouraging guerrilla resistance against the expected ground operation.”
• Arab protests
“Is this the war you are defending? This is barbarism,” cried Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations (where Palestine has “non-member observer state” status), when he spoke of the killing of three thousand children. Nine Arab countries – including key US allies and those that have signed peace or normalization agreements with Israel – took a joint position calling for an immediate ceasefire: “The right to self-defense enshrined in the UN Charter does not justify flagrant human rights violations.” . It was stated in the statement signed by Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Morocco. Meanwhile, a Hamas delegation was received in Moscow. The United States is pressuring Qatar to sever its ties with Palestinian jihadists.
• And Europe?
Europe is divided, as is inevitable on a topic like this, and precisely on a topic that serves to push 27 countries into debating what to do about everything from milk quotas to wars. Europe is not divided over the basics – defending Israel, eagerness to fight, avoiding escalation, the Palestinian state that will be born sooner or later – but over what we should do now. Thus, in the European Council yesterday, it was only Spain and Belgium that pushed for a ceasefire request, but the vast majority, writes Francesca BassoHe preferred the formula of “humanitarian truces” for passing aid, precisely to emphasize that at this moment it is unthinkable to stop the Israeli response.
• It’s Italy?
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni She reaffirmed The Italian and European position, consistent with the American position: “I believe that one of the most effective tools to defeat Hamas is to give a resolution and a timetable for resolving the Palestinian issue, and to give greater weight to the Palestinian National Authority.” . “This is a role that the European Union can play and is certainly one of the great keys in the medium term.”
• Because it is important
Because the Prime Minister, while reiterating her unwavering support for Israel, Confirm that you have given up At this point he resorted to the anti-Arab and anti-Muslim undertones of the years he was in opposition. Angering at-risk countries, starting with Tunisia – upon which the Meloni government bases much of its migrant strategy – would be a particular target. The idea that the national interest cannot ignore good relations with the other side of the Mediterranean seems to have been won over by the Brotherhood leadership, while it remains indigestible for Salvini. Which also makes itself felt in economic maneuvering.
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