New night of air raids begins Gaza. Israeli defense sources confirmed that the air force “continued to strike numerous targets of the terrorist organization Hamas throughout the Gaza Strip, including operational headquarters, anti-tank launchers and other Hamas infrastructure used by it for terrorist purposes,” during the night. According to the Gaza Interior Ministry, Israeli airstrikes in the north and center of the Gaza Strip overnight killed at least 29 people, 14 of them in Jabalia in the north of the Gaza Strip. In the morning a new one rang, intact Missile warning Hamas in the area of Ashkelon, a coastal city in southern Israel.
Raid also in Lebanon
Battles also took place along the northern front. In fact, the Israeli army carried out a series of attacks against numerous targets during the night Hezbollah South of Lebanon. The confirmation came from the IDF, which also released a video of the operations. Targets in the crosshairs include a “number of military structures used by Hezbollah for operational purposes” and an anti-tank missile launcher aimed at Israel. “The IDF,” military sources said, “is prepared for all scenarios in the various sectors and will continue to work for the safety of Israeli citizens.” The armed forces also reported that 22-year-old reservist Omer Balva was killed in an attack yesterday was killed by an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon.
The Rafah border crossing was opened and closed
In the morning, around 10 a.m. local time, it was open for just under an hour Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. The opening of the border only allowed the passage of 20 trucks with aid, wrote CNN, hearing a stringer on the Egyptian side of the border. Yesterday there were more than 50 convoys waiting. Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, said the convoy “consisted of vehicles carrying medicine, medical supplies and a limited amount of food.” Immediately after learning of the opening, about fifty Palestinians with dual citizenship (particularly Egyptians) attempted to enter Sinai. But, writes Ansa, the offices of the passenger terminal at the border crossing remain closed and these Palestinians.
The summit in Cairo begins
The summit organized by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to analyze the situation in the region, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the peace process began in Cairo. There are heads of state and government, but also heads of international organizations. The Italian Prime Minister also came to the meeting Giorgia Meloni. However, expectations remain limited due to the limited absence of the USA, which only sent the embassy’s chargé d’affaires. In addition to Meloni, Pedro Sanchez, who holds the EU Council Presidency this semester, the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, Catherine Colonna, Annalena Baerbock and James Claverly, as well as the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell.
In addition to the host Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, there are Palestinian Authority leader Abu Mazen, Jordanian King Abdallah, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, President of the Emirates Mohammed bin Zayed, and the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Russia and China were also invited to the summit, represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Beijing’s Middle East envoy Zhai Jun.
Opening the summit, the Egyptian president declared that “the solution” to the conflict in the Middle East “is the proclamation of the Palestinian state. Egypt categorically rejects the liquidation of the Palestinian cause.” It is necessary to “prevent the spread of the conflict, which could endanger the stability of the region” and “relaunch the peace process,” he added.
Alarm raised for Egypt and Jordan
In the days before the offensive against the Gaza Strip, Israel is raising the level Alarm at 4 For Egypt And Jordan, and calls on its citizens to leave the two countries as soon as possible, while for Morocco the alert level has been raised to level 3 and is recommended to avoid non-essential travel. “Due to the continuation of the war, in recent days there has been a further and significant intensification of protests against Israel in various countries around the world, particularly in the Arab countries of the Middle East, along with demonstrations of hostility and violence against Israeli symbols and Jews,” the State Department said in a statement. It is also not recommended to stay in all of them Middle Eastern countries – including Turkey, the Emirates and Bahrain – and to travel to places such as Malaysia, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Maldives.
Washington’s fears: “Don’t attack Lebanon”
In the USA, however, fears of an expansion of the conflict are growing. Qualified sources told the New York Times how it is Joe Biden that the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken have “privately” called on Israel to avoid serious attacks against Hezbollah. The U.S. government fears that some of the hawks in Israel’s war cabinet want to push for a preemptive attack against Shiite militias in southern Lebanon, a move that risks drawing both the U.S. and Iran into war.
An interim government for Gaza
As the United States and Israel wait for ground operations against the Gaza Strip to begin, they are reviewing postwar plans. According to U.S. diplomatic sources Bloomberg spoke to, the two countries are currently examining all scenarios. Including the installation of one UN-backed provisional government and with the participation of Arab governments. According to American media, the discussions are only in an early phase and are obviously related to the outcome of the Tel Aviv offensive.
“Hamas didn’t want the Tel Aviv-Riyadh agreement”
From the United States, President Biden spoke again about the Hamas attacks on October 7: “One of the reasons why they acted the way they did, why Hamas acted against Israel, is because they knew that I would hit the Saudis,” he said during a fundraiser for his campaign. “The Saudis wanted to recognize Israel and this – he added – would have effectively unified the Middle East.”