The US is not only abandoning Israel in the fight against Hamas and reaffirming its military support, but is also firmly pushing for an increase in humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
At the same time, international pressure is growing to reach a second ceasefire, brought about by a new resolution from the United Arab Emirates, which is being worked on at the UN headquarters in New York after the American veto in recent weeks.
However, the complex diplomatic game does not stop at the UN Security Council. In Warsaw, the head of the Mossad, David Barnea, the Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani, and the head of the CIA, William Burns, met to discuss the possibility of resuming ceasefire negotiations and a new exchange of Palestinian hostages and prisoners check. Everyone agreed that these negotiations were “long, complicated and more difficult than before.” While negotiations were in the middle of the Gaza Strip, Hamas released a new video featuring an intervention by three elderly Israeli hostages still held captive in the Gaza Strip.
Video Hamas releases new video of three hostages
Military spokesman Daniel Hagari dismissed it as “a criminal terror video” in which the three abductees declare that they do not want to die under attacks by their own army and demand their release “at any cost.” The video, just over a minute long, ends with a biblical quote: “Do not forsake me in my old age.” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was the second member of the Biden administration to arrive in Israel on a political-military shuttle in a week. He reiterated American support for his longtime ally.
The Pentagon chief emphasized that there is no “US timetable” for the war, but its conduct requires a reduction in civilian casualties through “surgical” and targeted attacks, according to lines already expressed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We will continue to provide Israel with necessary equipment, including critical ammunition, tactical vehicles and air defense systems,” Austin said. “And we will support Israel's efforts to free the hostages.” At the same time, he stressed the need to address the “urgent needs” of the civilian population, which has been suffering from the conflict for more than two months. “We must ensure,” Biden’s envoy said, “that larger amounts of humanitarian aid are channeled to the two million displaced people in Gaza.” The general policy framework, he summarized, remains that of the two-state solution.
“We know how difficult it is, especially after October 7, but the continued instability and insecurity play into the hands of Hamas,” Austin reiterated, confirming this to the Israeli leadership (from Netanyahu to Gallant) for the post-war period Washington supports control of the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian Authority. Despite the US line, this remains one of the most controversial points in the resolution being worked on at the United Nations, given Israel's known opposition. Netanyahu's government also warned the Americans about what is happening on the country's northern border with Lebanese Hezbollah: “If diplomatic efforts are unsuccessful – warned the defense minister – we will not hesitate to attack the north.” Meanwhile, the Israeli army on the ground appears to be in control To have firmly taken over Beit Hanoun in the north of the Gaza Strip and to have conquered the Hamas strongholds.
In Gaza City, the military spokesman announced that many militiamen had been captured, including some of those responsible for the October 7 attack. In total, over 150 targets were hit in the last 24 hours. Hamas said 110 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in Jabalya in the last 24 hours. The total number of deaths – according to Gaza authorities, which do not distinguish between civilian and militia casualties – was 19,453 in the Gaza Strip, with 52,286 injured. And while the situation in the West Bank is heating up – with four Palestinians killed in Tubas in an army operation, but also with an attack on an Israeli – the reality in Lebanon is increasingly one of open conflict with rockets from across the border and air strikes on Israelis
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