“Don’t look for us” during Ramadan, warns Tel Aviv

Israel declares that it stands “ready” to react in the event of an overflow despite Ramadan. The Gaza Strip, in the grip of a serious humanitarian crisis, remains under fire from the Israeli offensive against Hamas, with no prospect of a truce at the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan on Monday. Le Figaro make the point.

“Don’t look for us”: Israel warns against any excesses during Ramadan

Israel “respect” freedom to pray, but will “ready” to respond to any provocation or excess during the month of Ramadan, which began Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a video message. “The State of Israel respects the freedom to pray at al-Aqsa (the third holiest site in Islam located in East Jerusalem, a sector of the city occupied by Israel since 1967, Editor’s note) and in all holy places”assured Yoav Gallant in this message posted on his Telegram channel.

But “the month of Ramadan can also be a month of jihad, and we say to everyone: do not look for us. We are ready, don’t make a mistake”, he warned. This warning comes in the extremely tense context of the war in Gaza, which has notably raised fears of clashes in the Old City of Jerusalem.

The Esplanade des Mosques (or Temple Mount for Jews) is the third holiest site in Islam and the holiest site in Judaism. If this Muslim holy site is administered by Jordan, Israel imposes restrictions there, in particular on the number of faithful or their age. The Israeli government announced last week that Muslim worshipers would be allowed to pray there “in the same number as in previous years”.

For Ramadan, the UN chief calls for “silence the guns” in Gaza

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Monday to “silence the guns” in Gaza and free the hostages “to honor the spirit of Ramadan” which has just started. “Today marks the start of the holy month of Ramadan, a period when Muslims around the world celebrate and spread the values ​​of peace, reconciliation and solidarity. But even with the start of Ramadan, deaths, bombings and carnage continue in Gaza.he lamented to the press.

“My vibrant appeal today is to honor the spirit of Ramadan by silencing the guns and removing all obstacles so that lifesaving humanitarian assistance can take place at the pace and on the massive scale needed”he added. “At the same time, and in the spirit of compassion of Ramadan, I call for the immediate release of all the hostages”. “The eyes of the world are watching us. History is watching us. We can’t look away.”insisted Antonio Guterres.

The UN Secretary General was also alarmed by a possible Israeli ground offensive on Rafah, which would “falling the population of Gaza even deeper into the circles of hell”. He also repeated his call launched last week for a ceasefire also in Sudan for the holy month of Ramadan, “in the interest of the population who are suffering hunger, horrors and an indescribable ordeal”. “In Gaza, Sudan, and beyond, the time for peace has come. I call on political, religious and community leaders everywhere to do everything in their power to ensure that this sacred time is a time of empathy, action and peace.”.

The population is waiting for food

The population of the territory, struck by famine, is desperately waiting for food. A ship loaded with 200 tonnes of food, chartered by the Spanish NGO Open Arms, was due to leave Cyprus on Sunday for the Palestinian territory but its departure has not been confirmed. On Sunday, residents flocked to the beach in southern Gaza City hoping to see him arrive. “I’ve been waiting since this morning.”because Monday “the holy month of Ramadan begins and the situation is tragic”indicated one of them, Mohammed Harrara, to AFP.

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Jordan, the United States, France, Belgium and Egypt took part in new humanitarian aid drops into Gaza on Sunday. But the UN, which warns against “widespread famine almost inevitable” in Gaza, affirms that airdrops and sending aid by sea cannot replace the land route.

Still no agreement

Despite new discussions in early March in Cairo, the mediating countries – the United States, Qatar and Egypt – were unable to reach an agreement on a truce before the start of Ramadan on Monday. Hamas leader Ismaïl Haniyeh assured Sunday that the Islamist movement remains “open to negotiations”. However, a source close to the negotiations told AFP on Sunday “that there would be an acceleration of diplomatic efforts in the next 10 days” in order to try to obtain an agreement during the first half of Ramadan.

Hamas is demanding in particular a definitive ceasefire and a withdrawal of Israeli troops before any agreement on the release of hostages still held in Gaza. Israel demands that Hamas provide a precise list of hostages still alive but the Palestinian movement has said it does not know who was “alive or dead” among them.

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The United States fears that the situation could become “very dangerous” particularly in East Jerusalem, where the Esplanade des Mosques is located, the third holiest place in Islam, if the fighting continued during Ramadan.

Calls for peace for the start of Ramadan

In Washington, President Joe Biden, who is the subject of growing criticism in the United States for his support for Israel in the face of the growing number of civilian deaths in Gaza, sent a message of solidarity for the start of Ramadan. “This year, it comes at a time of immense pain”declared the American president. “As Muslims gather around the world in the coming days and weeks to break their fast, the suffering of the Palestinian people will be front and center for many. She is for me”added Joe Biden.

As custodian of two of Islam’s holiest sites, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has urged the international community to act. “We call on the international community to assume its responsibilities to put an end to these heinous crimes and ensure the establishment of safe humanitarian and aid corridors”he declared in his message published on the occasion of the start of Ramadan.

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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, for his part, sent “a special message of solidarity and support to all those suffering from the horrors in Gaza”. “In these difficult times, the spirit of Ramadan is a beacon of hope, a reminder of our common humanity”he said in a video on the social network

Explosion near ship off Yemen

An explosion was heard near a nearshore vessel off Yemen’s Red Sea on Monday, Britain’s maritime safety agency UKMTO reported, adding that the boat and its crew were safe. Vessel “reported the sound of an explosion nearby” of it southwest of the Yemeni port of Salif, said the UKMTO, specifying that members of a multinational coalition, led by the United States and set up in December to protect maritime traffic from attacks by Yemeni Houthi rebels were carrying out an investigation.

The British maritime security company Ambrey, for its part, said it was ‘aware of missile incident in the west’ from the port city of Hodeida, but did not provide further details. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Intense strikes on Sunday, major humanitarian crisis

On Sunday, Hamas authorities counted 85 dead in 24 hours in more than 60 strikes that hit central and southern Gaza, including the town of Khan Younes. The same day, Benjamin Netanyahu defended the continuation of the offensive in Gaza, despite increasingly frank criticism from his American ally. Joe Biden said on MSNBC on Saturday that the Israeli Prime Minister was “more harm than good to Israel” .

President Biden “wrongly”Benyamin Netanyahu retorted on Sunday, in an interview with the newspaper Politico. He claimed to be pursuing a policy “supported by an overwhelming majority of Israelis” and that his compatriots also support his categorical rejection of a Palestinian state.