- The war between Israel and Hamas was sparked by the Palestinian Islamist movement's unprecedented attack on Israeli soil from the Gaza Strip on October 7.
- In retaliation, Israel vowed to “destroy Hamas,” relentlessly shelling the besieged area home to 2.4 million Palestinians and launching a ground operation on Oct. 27.
- This Saturday there is turmoil at UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, and American attacks against the Houthis continue.
To better understand the latest events in the conflict between the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and Israel, 20 Minutes takes stock every evening. Between the strong statements, the diplomatic advances or the dramatic results of the fighting, here are the most important points of the day.
The fact of the day
At the heart of humanitarian aid in Gaza is the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which is at the center of the controversy: the Israeli government points to a possible role of some of its employees in the Hamas attack on October 7th.
In the last 24 hours, seven countries have suspended aid. The United States announced on Friday evening the temporary suspension of all future financial contributions to UNRWA. Since then, Canada, Australia, Italy, the United Kingdom, Finland and the Netherlands have followed suit. Switzerland is waiting for more information before making a decision.
Unrwa says it has parted ways with several of its employees.
The number of the day
26,257. The Hamas Ministry of Health gives this Saturday a new assessment of the human losses in Gaza since the start of the Israeli military operation. According to him, 26,257 people were killed in the area.
Sentence of the day
We believe that Israel's actions in Gaza cannot be described as genocide and therefore we believe that South Africa's decision to take the matter to court is wrong and provocative
Britain's Foreign Office expressed its “deep concern” on Saturday following the International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision. The latter called on Israel on Friday to “take all measures in its power” to prevent genocide in Gaza. It was seized by South Africa, which believes Israel is violating the United Nations Genocide Convention.
Today's trend
While fighting between the Israeli army and Hamas continues in the south of the Gaza Strip, war is also raging in Yemen. American forces attacked a Houthi rebel base there in the morning. It was in response to missile attacks on a British oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden on Friday. This attack was carried out by the Houthis in support of the Palestinian people and “in response to British and American aggression against our country,” said rebel military spokesman Yahya Saree.
The Houthis' attacks, which have lasted for several weeks, have prompted certain shipping companies to suspend sailings in the Red Sea, which normally carries up to 12% of global trade.