• It is the 32nd day of the war: According to Hamas, over 10,000 Palestinians have died; 1,400 Israeli; 241 hostages in Gaza.
• The words and acronyms to understand the conflict: Here is the glossary.
• The history of the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, explained here.
4:22 a.m. – Israel: “The CIA is working with us to release the hostages”
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the CIA is working with Israeli intelligence to free hostages held by Hamas. US spy director Bill Burns discussed the matter with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi yesterday, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed. During the meeting in Israel, intelligence and operational planning materials to support the release of the hostages were presented.
3:44 a.m. – France, call from the Presidents of the Senate and the National Assembly: “All for the civil march against anti-Semitism”
The presidents of the French Senate and the National Assembly have invited “all who identify with the values of our republic” to take part in the “great civil march” against anti-Semitism in Paris next Sunday. The initiative was welcomed by the center-right majority and the Socialists, although with some reservations due to the presence of the far-right Rassemblement National faction. France’s radical “left” took its time, but finally appeared to have its say with its leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who spoke of a gathering of “friends of unconditional support for the massacres” in Gaza.
3:21 a.m. – Saudi Arabia: “Three summits between Arab, Islamic and African countries in Riyadh”
Riyadh will host three summits in the next few days to discuss the conflict in the Gaza Strip, bringing together Arab, African and Muslim countries, Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih reported on the sidelines of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore. “There will be an emergency Arab summit in Riyadh,” he explained, “then we will convene an Africa-Saudi Arabia summit and another Islamic summit.” Saudi Arabia’s goal is “to promote a peaceful solution to the conflict “, he assured. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will be in Arabia on Sunday for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit: it will be the first visit by an Iranian leader since Tehran and Riyadh signed a China-brokered deal in March to end years of total violence to put an end to freezing.
3:17 a.m. – The Israeli government specifies: “No reoccupation of the Gaza Strip”
The Israeli government has made it clear that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s words about maintaining “overall responsibility for security” in the Gaza Strip even after the war do not mean that there will be a new occupation of the Palestinian enclave. Strategic Affairs Secretary Ron Dermer, a War Cabinet member, said the goal was to ensure Gaza became a demilitarized territory with Israeli forces able to re-enter in the event of terrorist threats, but without ruling the enclave . The United States has said it opposes Israel’s “re-occupation” of the Gaza Strip and called for the Gaza Strip to continue to be ruled by Palestinians.
2:16 a.m. – The background to the phone call between Biden and Netanyahu on Monday
In his phone call on Monday, Joe Biden called on Benjamin Netanyahu to order a three-day pause in fighting to allow the release of some US hostages held by Hamas. This was revealed by Axios journalist Bark Ravid, citing American and Israeli government sources. According to the US source, under a proposal discussed between the US, Israel and Qatar, Hamas would release 10 to 15 hostages and use the three-day break to identify the others held and hand over a list of all names in custody.
The number of hostages remains uncertain. According to Israel, there are at least 240 people, of which 180 are in the hands of Hamas, 40 in the hands of Islamic Jihad and another 20 in the hands of other Palestinian factions. Hamas said on Tuesday it was ready to release 12 foreign hostages but could not proceed due to Israeli airstrikes and ground operations. Axios’ U.S. and Israeli sources reported that Netanyahu told Biden he doesn’t trust Hamas and doesn’t believe the terrorist organization is willing to accept a hostage deal. The Israeli prime minister also said in the phone call with the US president that Israel would lose the international support it currently enjoys if it stopped fighting for three days. The Israeli source said Netanyahu’s ruling was weighed by a precedent in the 2014 Gaza war, when Hamas attacked a group of Israeli soldiers during a humanitarian pause, kidnapping one of them and killing others.
02.02 – Tajani: “The Middle East at the center of the Italian G7 presidency”
“The Middle East will certainly be on the agenda of the Italian G7 presidency,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed this in an interview with Nikkei on the occasion of his participation in the G7 ministerial meeting in Tokyo, Japan. “We will then continue to oppose Russian aggression against Ukraine and work for the security and sustainable growth of the global economy threatened by autocracies.” In addition, we will focus on digital change and, above all, on the challenges of artificial intelligence,” added the minister, listing the issues that will be at the heart of the Italian presidency in 2024.
Tajani then addressed the ongoing conflict directly: “In order to stabilize the Middle East, a longer-term perspective is needed that creates real opportunities for peace and security.” In addition to the reflections on the “day after” in Gaza, which have already been discussed as part of the G7, we must resume the political dialogue with the Palestinian Authority, because the only way to a sustainable and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be on the principle of two peoples, two states.
The Foreign Minister referred to Italy’s abstention from the UN vote on the resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza: “The Italian abstention, like many other countries, was certainly not about the humanitarian ceasefire, but about the lack of condemnation Hamas attacks.”, which cannot and must not be forgotten. Italy’s commitment to stabilizing the Middle East arose long before the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th. Italian initiatives in the region are diverse and divided into different sectors, from security to humanitarian aid to development cooperation. It is now urgent to address the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and promote military de-escalation, also to prevent the conflict from regionalizing. From the outset, Italy has supported every initiative aimed at reaching an agreement on the opening of the Rafah border crossing, and has also made a direct contribution through the provision of humanitarian assistance. This goes hand in hand with the close diplomatic coordination we have established with the key countries involved. In this context, I would like to highlight the valuable contribution of important countries such as Egypt and Qatar,” Tajani concluded.
1:31 a.m. – At least 500 people have left Gaza via the Rafah border crossing
At least 500 people, most of them foreigners or dual nationals and their relatives, left the Gaza Strip via Egypt yesterday. This is what the Guardian writes, citing Portal with Egyptian security sources. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said 262 Jordanians were evacuated yesterday, out of a total of 569 stranded in the Gaza Strip, while Canada said 59 of its citizens, permanent residents and family members had been evacuated. In addition, 19 Palestinians from Gaza in need of medical treatment have been allowed to join dozens of others being treated in Egyptian hospitals, according to a medical source.
Other countries whose citizens were allowed to leave yesterday include Romania, Germany, Moldova, Ukraine, the Philippines and France, according to the Gaza Strip border authority. Egyptian security sources said, among other things, that Egypt continued to push for more aid and fuel in Gaza, as well as ambulance safety.
01:29 a.m. – Israel: Army airstrikes on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon
Israel responded to rocket fire from Lebanon with air strikes. Tel Aviv army spokesman Daniel Hagari explains it on social networks: “IDF warplanes have repeatedly attacked targets of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, including a warehouse, launch positions, infrastructure and places where technological assets are located.” Actions that aimed at “hitting terrorism and locations where assets of the terrorist organization Hezbollah are located.” The attack came in response to fire from Lebanese territory.”
1:27 a.m. – Molotov against two Jewish headquarters in Montreal, Canada
Molotov cocktails were thrown at the premises of two Jewish institutions in the Montreal area, Canada. The bombs, which were thrown at Congregation Beth Tikvah and at the back entrance of the local Jewish community’s offices across from the synagogue in the suburb of Dollar-des-Ormeaux, damaged the buildings but injured no one. B’nai Brith Canada’s regional director has asked authorities to investigate the attack, which came exactly a month after the Hamas attack in southern Israel. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “deeply disturbed” by the arson attack and reiterated that “anti-Semitism is completely unacceptable and must always be condemned. Our government will continue to work with Jewish communities to combat this hatred.”
1:07 a.m. – Israel: “14,000 Hamas targets hit in a month”
A month after the start of the military operation against Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has carried out attacks on more than 14,000 targets in the Gaza Strip, army spokesman Daniel Hagari said at a news conference. The Israeli army claims to have demolished over 100 tunnel entrances, destroyed more than 4,000 weapons of various types and “killed many Hamas terrorists, including those of the rank of commanders.” Hagari explained that many of the targets hit were in mosques, kindergartens and residential areas. “This shows that Hamas is cynically using its population as a human shield,” concluded the Israeli army spokesman.