Have you missed the latest events on the conflict between the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and Israel? 20 minutes takes stock for you every evening at 8:30 p.m. Who did what ? Who said what? Where are we ? The answer below.
News of the day
Many nationalities were targets of Hamas’ attack this weekend. Among them, French people, whose number of dead and missing has further increased. “Unfortunately, as the Israeli authorities carry out verifications and identification, the toll of victims increases,” declared Foreign Minister Catherine Colona, ahead of a hearing before the National Assembly. “I have the great sadness of having to inform you that at this time, we deplore the death of eight compatriots in these terrorist attacks and we have no news of twenty missing,” she added. She said some of them had “very likely” been kidnapped, including “at least one child and possibly several.”
The minister also announced “the establishment of a special flight by Air France this Thursday as part of an operation coordinated by the crisis center” at the Quai d’Orsay to repatriate French people who have not been able to return . Catherine Colonna underlined the mobilization of her ministry “to clarify the situation” of the French and “do everything to find them, (…) to free them when they are hostages”. The head of diplomacy also reiterated that there was “no possible justification for terrorism” and denounced “acts of terror perpetrated against civilians and soldiers”. The hostage-taking “are despicable acts which demonstrate the terrorist nature of Hamas and we demand the unconditional release” of these hostages.
The number of the day
300,000. This is the number of reservists mobilized by Israel. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the Israeli army has 169,500 men and women, including 126,000 in the Army, plus 400,000 reservists. “We mobilized 300,000 reservists, more than we had ever done in such a short period of time,” reserve lieutenant-colonel Jonathan Conricus declared on X (ex-Twitter).
It is also one of the best equipped armies in the world. Nuclear power, the Israeli army has aviation, tanks and other armored vehicles, artillery as well as its powerful “Iron Dome” anti-missile defense system. “Israel enjoys a significant military and technological advantage over Hamas and allied groups. But an offensive operation will be costly because it will enter a hostile environment,” summarizes Lucas Webber, co-founder of the specialized site Militant Wire.
Sentence of the day
We will not tolerate any anti-Semitic act or remarks in France.”
Before the National Assembly, Elisabeth Borne promised “the greatest firmness to all those who would like to use this conflict as a pretext for anti-Semitism”. Addressing the Jewish community, she said: “We are with you. To attack you is to attack the entire Republic.”
The Hamas attack is “a terrorist attack, committed by a terrorist group”, insisted the Prime Minister, looking at the group of La France insoumise deputies, widely criticized for their position considered too ambiguous on the conflict. She once again found it “shocking and distressing to hear dissonant voices even on these benches”. “The unimaginable barbarity and level of violence remind us of the worst moments of our fight against ISIS. Those who supported, financed and armed Hamas fell, with it, into ignominy,” she added.
The card of the day
– Valentina BRESCHI
Today’s trend
Towards a third front? Three salvos of rockets were fired from southern Lebanon towards Israel, the official Lebanese agency said, for the third consecutive day. “In response to the fire identified from Lebanese territory towards Israeli territory, the soldiers [de l’armée] of the IDF are currently responding with artillery fire,” the Israeli army said in a statement.
“We remain in contact with the authorities on both sides of the Blue Line (setting the border between the two countries) to defuse this very dangerous situation,” added the Blue Helmets, calling for “restraint at this critical time”. The exchanges of fire, currently unclaimed, came the day after the death of three militants of the powerful pro-Iranian Hezbollah after an Israeli bombardment in the border area. Israel carried out a bombing in this area after announcing that it had killed “several armed suspects” who had infiltrated its territory from southern Lebanon.