Die EU is planning one Airlift for aid organizations in Gaza Strip. The flights are scheduled to start this week and, among other things, will bring medicine to Egypt for the aid organization Unicef, the EU Commission announced in Brussels on Monday. From there the aid supplies could be transported further to the Gaza Strip.
“The catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza is about to reach its peak,” said the responsible EU Commissioner Janez Lenarcic. Fuel, water, food and medicine must reach the people of Gaza immediately.
The EU Commission announced at the weekend that it would immediately increase aid to the Gaza Strip by 50 million euros to a total of more than 75 million euros.
Scholz travels to Israel
Ten days after the devastating terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) On Tuesday, he would be the first head of government to travel to Israel to show solidarity. Then we continue to Egypt, Israel’s only neighboring country, which also borders the Gaza Strip. Scholz is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
There was evidence that too US President Joe Biden planning a trip to Israel this week.
Israel warns Hezbollah and Iran
Meanwhile, an Israeli military spokesman warns the Hezbollah militia from further attacks on the common border. “If Hezbollah makes the mistake of testing us, the reaction will be deadly,” Daniel Hagari said on Monday. “Israel is ready to operate on two fronts, even more.”
The Israeli military had previously called on residents of 28 communities on the border with Lebanon to leave. This will allow Israeli forces to “operate on a larger scale,” Hagari said.
Also the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hezbollah – and Iran. “Don’t put us to the test in the north,” Netanyahu said in parliament at the start of the winter session. “Don’t repeat your previous mistake because this time the price will be much worse.” US President Joe Biden told them in English: “Don’t do it.” I told you in Hebrew: Be careful.”
Since the major attack on Israel by Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and Israeli counterattacks on the Gaza Strip, there have been several incidents on the Lebanese-Israeli border. On Sunday, Hezbollah fired rockets and an anti-tank missile at Israel, which returned the fire. One person was killed on the Israeli side. Several people were injured.
Smoke rises after mutual shelling in the village of Duhaira (Lebanon) near the border with Israel
Source: dpa/Hassan Ammar
A Hezbollah spokeswoman emphasized that this was merely a warning and not a sign that the group had entered the conflict.
Dispute over ceasefires and border openings
On Monday morning, the Israeli army launched its attacks on the Escape routes briefly suspended in the south of the Gaza Strip. Between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. (local time, 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. CEST), the military will “refrain” from targeting this axis, army spokesman Avichay Adraee said on Monday in the online service X.
“For your safety, take advantage of this brief moment to move from the north and the city of Gaza to the south,” he said. In another statement, the army said it had identified two routes for escape to the south.
There have recently been contradictory reports about a possible ceasefire in the south of the Gaza Strip, as well as about the opening of a border crossing into Egypt. Initially it was said that the USA, Israel and Egypt had agreed on such a ceasefire, the sources were therefore Egyptian security circles. This will also be accompanied by the opening of the Rafah border crossing in Egypt, it said. However, Rafah should only be open until 4 p.m. (CEST) on Monday afternoon, and only for the departure of foreign nationals and the import of humanitarian aid.
The wounded Mohamed, 12, from Gaza, now near the Rafah border crossing
Source: AFP/MOHAMMED ABED
A little later, Israel denied the ceasefire. “There is currently no ceasefire and no humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the withdrawal of foreigners,” said a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. However, the above-mentioned time window for refugees from northern Gaza was guaranteed.
And the actual opening of the border to Egypt is apparently in limbo. According to Egyptian Foreign Minister Samih Schukri, Israel is preventing the Rafah border crossing from being opened, it was said on Monday afternoon. Meanwhile, there is great desperation at the closed border crossing. Numerous Palestinian dual citizens waited in Rafah on Monday to get out of the danger zone. People sat on their suitcases or squatted on the floor trying to calm crying babies.
Israel is now looking for 199 hostages
On Monday, Israel made another important number public: According to this, there are in the Gaza Strip more hostages held than previously known. 199 people There were victims of extremist groups there, military spokesman Hagari said, and their families had been informed accordingly. So far there had been talk of at least 155 hostages.