A third aid convoy entered the Gaza Strip on Monday, October 23, amid Israeli shelling and siege on the Palestinian enclave, AFP correspondents on the Egyptian and Palestinian sides of the Rafah border crossing reported. This weekend, “34 trucks crossed Rafah,” an Egyptian Red Crescent official told AFP on condition of anonymity. These were the first convoys since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, which began on October 7 after an attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement on Israeli soil. The United Nations is calling for at least 100 trucks a day for the 2.4 million people in the Gaza Strip who are deprived of everything.
The head of European diplomacy is calling for more help. Josep Borrell called on Monday, October 23, for “more aid, faster” for the Gaza Strip, which is besieged by the Israeli army. He personally says he supports the humanitarian ceasefire called for by UN chief Antonio Guterres. This issue must be discussed by the Foreign Ministers of the Twenty-seven when they meet in Luxembourg.
A second humanitarian convoy from Egypt. Seventeen aid trucks passed through the Rafah crossing, the only entrance into the Gaza Strip not controlled by Israel, an AFP journalist noted. “UN humanitarian assistance, including only water, food and medical equipment, has been delivered to the southern Gaza Strip,” the Israeli Defense Ministry confirmed.
Israel announces intensification of attacks. Locally, the Israeli army said it had intensified its attacks against the Palestinian enclave. According to a spokesman, “dozens” of Hamas fighters were killed. Gaza’s Health Ministry said the deadliest raids took place in Deir Al-Balah. Other attacks also targeted Khan Younes and Rafah.
Discussions between Western countries. US President Joe Biden spoke on Sunday with Emmanuel Macron as well as his German, Canadian, British and Italian counterparts. According to a report from Washington, they reiterated their support for Israel while calling for respect for international humanitarian law.
A debate without a vote in the National Assembly. It begins at 4 p.m. with a statement by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, followed by speeches from speakers from the political groups and the chairmen of the Foreign Affairs and European Affairs Committees. It takes place the day after Parliament Speaker Yaël Braun-Pivet travels to Israel.
Emmanuel Macron is expected in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. The French president will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there, the Elysée Palace announced on Sunday. In the Hamas attack on Israel, 30 French people were killed and seven others are still missing.