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 declarations, the diplomatic advances or the dramatic results of the fighting, here are the main points of the day.
News of the day
The Israeli army announced this Thursday evening that it had surrounded Gaza, a week after the start of its ground operation in the Palestinian territory. “Our soldiers have completed the encirclement of Gaza City, the center of the Hamas terrorist organization,” Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said during a situation update. “The concept of a ceasefire is not on the table,” he added.
Hamas’ military wing said Gaza would be a “curse” for Israel, warning that its soldiers would leave “in black bags.” Both sides report close ground fighting in the territory. The Israeli army declared that troops were “infiltrating deeper and deeper” into areas held by Hamas.
The number of the day
7,000. This is the number of foreign and dual nationals that Egypt will evacuate from the Gaza Strip, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday. Four hundred people were expected to cross the border during the day, including at least 74 Americans, President Joe Biden said. The day before, 300 foreigners and dual nationals as well as 76 Palestinians had already left the enclave through the Rafah crossing point.
Sentence of the day
We remain convinced that the Palestinian people are at serious risk of genocide
UN experts, including the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, estimated this Thursday that the Palestinian people were at risk of genocide, in a joint statement released in Geneva. These independent experts are mandated by the Human Rights Council, but do not speak on behalf of the United Nations.
Today’s trend
Relations are strained between Arab countries and Israel. Saudi Arabia, which had begun to consider normalizing relations with Israel before this new crisis, announced this Thursday the launch of a fundraising campaign for the Palestinians in Gaza. Even King Salman put his hand in his pocket with a donation of 30 million riyals (around 7.5 million euros).
The Tunisian Parliament, for its part, has started debates around a bill which considers any normalization of relations with Israel a crime and punishes with a prison sentence. This law prohibits “all intentional acts involving communication, contact, propaganda, the conclusion of contracts or cooperation, directly or indirectly, by natural or legal persons of Tunisian nationality with all natural and legal persons affiliated with the ‘Zionist entity (sic)’.
Finally, the Bahraini Parliament announced that it would suspend its economic ties with Israel and recall its ambassadors, although the government has not yet confirmed this decision. If confirmed, it would be the first such step taken by one of Israel’s Arab allies in the Gulf.