From Le Figaro with AFP
Published 2 hours ago, updated 30 minutes ago
The father of a journalist neutralized by the IDF. – / AFP
UPDATE ON THE SITUATION – “Military intelligence confirmed that the two deceased were members of terrorist organizations based in the Gaza Strip and were actively involved in attacks against Israeli forces,” the Israeli army said.
The IDF neutralized two Al Jazeera journalists who were accused of being “terror agents,” fighting in Khan Younes in central Gaza intensified since the north was largely secured, and the United Nations Security Council is calling for an end to Houthi attacks in the Gaza Strip Red Sea… Le Figaro takes stock of the fighting between Israel and the terrorist movement Hamas, which was behind a bloody attack that killed more than a thousand civilians.
IDF neutralizes two journalists accused of being “terror agents.”
The Israeli army said on Wednesday that two Al Jazeera journalists killed in one of its attacks in the Gaza Strip on Sunday were “terrorist agents” affiliated with the Palestinian terror movement Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad were connected. Hamza Dahdouh and Moustafa Thuraya, who worked as video journalists for several international media outlets including AFP, were killed on Sunday in an attack on their car in the southern Palestinian territory while on assignment for the Qatari broadcaster.
“Before the attack, the two were piloting drones that posed an immediate threat to Israeli troops,” the army said in a statement. When asked by AFP about the type of drones used and the nature of this threat, the Israeli army replied late in the evening that it would examine this point. “Hamza Dahdouh and Moustafa Thuraya have been identified as terrorist agents from Gaza,” the army accuses. “Military intelligence confirmed that the two deceased were members of terrorist organizations based in the Gaza Strip and were actively involved in attacks against Israeli forces,” it said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the deaths of the two journalists an “unimaginable tragedy.”
The Israeli army is stepping up its attacks in the central Gaza Strip
Israeli aircraft increased their attacks early Thursday in the area of Khan Younes, the capital in southern Gaza and the epicenter of fighting in recent weeks, witnesses said. Hamas reported 62 deaths across the Gaza Strip overnight. Early Wednesday evening, the Palestinian Red Crescent announced the deaths of six people, including four of its rescuers, in an attack on an ambulance in central Gaza that it attributed to the Israeli army.
Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip. MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP
“The fighting is taking place underground, on land, in a very, very complex area, facing an enemy that has prepared its defenses over a very long period of time and in a very organized manner,” explained Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi , who visited the center of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
The UN Security Council calls for it to be stoppedimmediately » Houthi attacks
The UN Security Council on Wednesday called for an “immediate” end to Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea and urged all states to respect the arms embargo on Yemeni rebels.
The resolution drafted by the United States and Japan, adopted with 11 votes in favor and 4 abstentions, “demands that the Houthis immediately end “attacks” that impede international trade and violate navigation rights and freedoms, as well as peace and security undermine the peace and security of the region.
Also read: In the Red Sea, the USA is preparing for a military escalation against the Houthis
Israel is blamed “genocide » before the International Court of Justice
Israel will be charged at the International Court of Justice on Thursday over “genocidal acts” in Gaza, leveled by South Africa and described as “cruel” and “absurd” by the Israeli president. Pretoria urgently appealed to the United Nations' top court in The Hague to order Israel to “immediately cease its military operations in the Gaza Strip.” South Africa says Israel is breaking its obligations under the UN Convention against Genocide, signed in 1948 after the Holocaust.
As a co-signatory to the treaty, Pretoria can sue Israel at the International Court of Justice, which rules on disputes between states. In its 84-page motion, South Africa recognizes “special responsibility” for the genocide allegation against Israel and “unequivocally condemns” the October 7 Hamas attack. But Israeli actions in Gaza are aimed at “bringing about the destruction of a significant part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnic group,” she charges.
“There is nothing more disgusting and absurd than this claim,” responded Israeli President Isaac Herzog. “We will stand before the International Court of Justice and proudly present our case of self-defense (…) within the framework of international humanitarian law,” he added. The Israeli army “is doing everything possible on the ground under extremely complicated circumstances to ensure that there are no unintended consequences or civilian casualties,” Isaac Herzog added.