The war between Hamas and IsraelDossierThe essential information about the war between Hamas and Israel this Sunday, February 18th.
Two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli attack in the West Bank. According to the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian Authority, which is in power in the West Bank, two men aged 19 and 36 were shot dead this Sunday after a raid by the Israeli army in the Tulkarem camp. At least five other people were injured in this operation, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. For its part, the Israeli army confirmed in a press release the death of a man particularly suspected of being involved in attacks against Israeli forces. These incidents come against a backdrop of high tensions and increasing violence in the Palestinian territory since the Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7 and the start of the war in Gaza. On Sunday, European diplomacy chief Josep Borrell estimated that tensions in the West Bank, including increasing attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers, were “the real obstacle” to a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.
For the EU, settler attacks in the West Bank are an obstacle to a two-state solution. The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, believes this Sunday that tensions in the West Bank, where settler attacks on Palestinians have increased, represent “the real obstacle” to a two-state solution between Israel and Israel. ©left and Palestinians. “I'm surprised because everyone is talking about ending the Gaza war, but no one has talked much about the West Bank, which is the real obstacle to the two-state solution,” he told the Munich Security Conference. The West Bank is in turmoil, the level of violence against the Palestinians has been increasing since October 7th, and was already very high before that.”
Lula accuses Israel of “genocide” in Gaza. “What is happening in the Gaza Strip is not a war, it is a genocide.” This was stated by the Brazilian president at the meeting of the Jewish state this Sunday. From Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he attended an African Union summit, Lula even drew the parallel to the extermination of Jews by the Hitler regime. “What is happening to the Palestinian people in Gaza? [â¦] “This has already happened: when Hitler decided to kill the Jews,” Lula commented. “This is not a war of soldiers against soldiers. “It is a war between a well-prepared army and women and children,” added the South American leader, a veteran of the left. The remarks are among the most vicious comments ever made on the ongoing conflict by Lula, a prominent voice from the south whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the G20.
Joint call from Macron and Sissi against an offensive in Rafah. The French leader and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sissi expressed “their firm opposition” to an Israeli offensive in Rafah and “any forced relocation” of the population to Egypt, which would constitute “a violation of international humanitarian law.” , says a press release from the Elysée on Sunday. The two leaders, who spoke by telephone on Saturday, “expressed their strong opposition to an Israeli offensive in Rafah, which would lead to a humanitarian catastrophe of new proportions, as well as “any forced relocation of the population towards Egyptian territory that would lead to it “constitute a violation of international humanitarian law and pose an additional risk of regional escalation.”
The USA is threatening to block another vote in the UN Security Council. After weeks of discussions, Algeria, which launched the initiative following the International Court of Justice's ruling at the end of January calling on Israel to prevent any possible “genocide” in Gaza, has requested a vote for Tuesday morning, several diplomatic sources said. The latest version of the text calls for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, which must be respected by all parties.” The draft resolution “rejects the forced relocation of the Palestinian civilian population” and calls for an end to this “violation of international law.” He also once again demands the release of all hostages.
However, as in previous texts castigated by Israel and the United States, he does not condemn the October 7 attack. American Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield condemned the decision on Saturday, reiterating that it could “contradict” ongoing diplomatic negotiations for a ceasefire, including further releases of hostages. “For this reason, the United States does not support” a vote on this text and “if we were to vote on the current draft, it would not be adopted,” she said. Guard, clearly threatening a veto.
New American attacks against the Houthis in Yemen. The US Army announced this Sunday that it had carried out new attacks against missiles, a drone and a submarine belonging to the Houthi rebels in Yemen the day before. The army “successfully conducted five self-defense strikes against three mobile anti-ship missile systems, an autonomous submarine and a naval surface drone,” it said. The US military Middle East command, Centcom, said in a statement. “This is the first time since the attacks began on October 23 that (the army) has detected the use of an autonomous submarine by the Houthis,” Centcom added. The Houthis say they are attacking ships they believe are linked to Israel, whose main military ally is the United States, and claim to support the Palestinians in Gaza.
Updated at 8 p.m. with the American attacks against the Houthis and the statement by Josep Borell.