• It is the 20th day of the war: According to Hamas, over 7,000 Palestinians have died; 1,400 of them were Israelis; 224 hostages in the Gaza Strip.
• Hamas representatives visit Moscow. Kremlin: “We talked about the hostages.” But they don’t see Putin. Israel: “It’s an outrage.”
• Israeli army: “New local ground incursions in Gaza”.
• Israel at the UN: “War against Hamas, not against Palestinians”.
• Words and acronyms for understanding the conflict: the glossary.
• The history of the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis explained.
(Gianluca Mercuri) The preparations for the ground attack, the alleged death of 50 hostages by bombs announced by Hamas, the Arab protests and the European compromise on “humanitarian pauses”. Point by point:
• Israel’s first land attacks
The Jewish state’s troops and tanks made a brief incursion into the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday night. The aim was to destroy Hamas’ anti-tank weapons in order to “prepare the battlefield” for the invasion. This is the third Israeli attack since the war began, following more than two weeks of air strikes that devastated the 365-square-kilometer Gaza Strip.
• How many deaths are there?
There are certainly thousands: according to the Hamas Ministry of Health, more than 7,000, including more than 2,900 minors and more than 1,500 women. Obviously, the data cannot be quickly verified by independent parties, but in recent years’ wars, international agencies have confirmed them over time. “The numbers may not be entirely accurate from minute to minute, but they broadly reflect the number of deaths and injuries,” Michael Ryan of the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Program told the AP.
After US President Biden said he did not trust the figures provided by the Gaza authorities, the Ministry of Health responded by publishing a document of over 200 pages containing the names of 6,747 deaths, along with age and gender. A further 281 deaths have not been identified – putting the number at over 7,000 – and hundreds are missing.
The number of Palestinians forced to leave their homes so far is one million and four hundred thousand out of a population of two million and three hundred thousand. Half of the displaced people are crammed into UN shelters. Despite the evacuation ordered by the Israelis, hundreds of thousands of people are still in the north.
It all began, we always remember, with the Hamas terrorist massacre on October 7: 1,400 Israelis were killed in calculated atrocities, including 1,100 civilians.
• “Fifty hostages dead”
It is always Hamas that says it: if it is true, they were victims of the bombs that were able to destroy the jihadists’ underground bunkers. And if it is true, then the fate of the hostages – initially about 220, of which only 4 (all women) have been released so far – is linked in an even more dramatic way to the doubts about the negotiations on the one hand and the invasion plans on the other.
• What is it about? Qatar, the political-economic sponsor of Hamas as well as Iran’s military one, is the central theme of the negotiations and on Wednesday even went so far as to announce an impending “tipping point.” The basic idea is always to release women, children and the elderly, because Hamas wants to keep young men and soldiers until the end. Israel could play the card of hundreds of Palestinian women and minors detained in its prisons.
Much more problematic is the idea of privileging non-Israeli hostages or hostages with dual citizenship. Davide Frattini writes that the government is saying that “we will not accept any selection among Jews like in the camps.” Meanwhile, Iran is also getting involved: “Hamas is ready to hand over civilians to us.” It is the psychological game with which the jihadists and their allies hope to divide Westerners and Israelis from the start.
• And what stage is the invasion at?
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Americans have received a reprieve from Israel until at least this weekend to deploy defense systems to protect their troops in the region. On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the invasion of Gaza was safe, but he too has so far preferred to wait and differences between government officials and the military do not appear to have been resolved.
• But what are America’s goals?
Biden and Secretary of State Blinken are trying to persuade Israel to gradually destroy Hamas to limit civilian casualties. And they aim to avoid any kind of escalation and outline plans for the future that reopen the prospect of a Palestinian state (here are the five American goals and the four types of escalation).
• The two Hamas leaders were killed
According to the Israelis, they are Shadi Barud, deputy head of Hamas intelligence and right-hand man of political leader Yahya Sinwar, and Hassan Al-Abdullah, in charge of the teams that fire rockets into Israel. It is, explains Lorenzo Cremonesi, “a ruthless manhunt aimed at depriving the jihadist organization of the key figures destined to lead and encourage the guerrilla resistance to the expected ground operation”.
• The Arab protests
Ryad Mansour, Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations (where Palestine has the status of a “non-member observer state”), cried as he spoke of the three thousand children killed: “Is this the war you are defending?” This is barbarism.” Nine Arab countries – including key US allies and those that have signed peace or normalization agreements with Israel – have taken a common position calling for an immediate ceasefire: “The right to self-defense enshrined in the United Nations Charter does not justify blatant violations. “Humanitarian and international law,” said the declaration, signed by Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Morocco. Meanwhile, a Hamas delegation was received in Moscow. And the US is urging Qatar to cut its ties with Palestinian jihadism.
• And Europe?
Europe is divided, which is inevitable on an issue like this and on an issue designed precisely to get 27 countries discussing everything from milk quotas to wars. Europe is not divided on fundamental issues – Israel must defend it, Hamas must fight, it should prevent escalation, sooner or later a Palestinian state will emerge – but rather about what needs to be done now. So, at yesterday’s European Council, only Spain and Belgium pushed for the call for a ceasefire, but the vast majority, writes Francesca Basso, preferred the formula of “humanitarian pauses” to let aid through, precisely to reaffirm that at this moment It is unthinkable to stop the Israeli reaction.
• It’s Italy?
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reiterated the Italian and European position in line with the American one: “I believe that one of the most effective tools to defeat Hamas is to give concreteness, a timetable and give greater weight to the solution of the Palestinian issue.” the Palestinian national team. This is a role that the EU can play and certainly one of the big keys for the medium-term future.”
• Because it is important
Although the Prime Minister reiterates her firm support for Israel, she confirms that at this point in time she has renounced the anti-Arab and anti-Muslim tones of the years in which she was in the opposition. Antagonizing vulnerable countries, especially Tunisia – on which the Meloni government bases much of its refugee strategy – would be self-important. The idea that the national interest cannot ignore good relations with the other side of the Mediterranean therefore seems to have been adopted by the leadership of the Brotherhood, while remaining indigestible for Salvini. Which is also noticeable in the economic maneuvers.