Here are the latest developments on the 18th day of war between Israel and Hamas.
⚫ Macron in Israel
The release of “all the hostages” held by Hamas in Gaza is “the first objective”, affirmed Emmanuel Macron, during his meeting in Jerusalem with his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog. The French president also called not to “expand the conflict” between Israel and Hamas.
▶️ Follow here the live broadcast dedicated to Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Israel
⚫ Two new hostages released
On Monday evening, Hamas released two of the hostages kidnapped on October 7 in Israel, two women, Yocheved Lifschitz, 85, and Nourit Kuper, 79, of Israeli nationality and from Kibbutz Nir Oz. This release, confirmed by Israel, comes three days after that of an American woman and her daughter.
⚫ Biden conditions a ceasefire
The United States demanded on Monday the release of all hostages in Gaza, before any possible discussion of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, despite calls for a truce in the fighting which has already caused thousands of deaths. “The hostages must be released, then we can talk,” said US President Joe Biden, when asked about his support for a “hostages for ceasefire” agreement.
⚫ Bombings on Gaza
The Israeli army continued its bombings on the Gaza Strip which left more than 140 dead during the night from Monday to Tuesday, according to Hamas in power in this small, densely populated Palestinian territory. On Monday, in its latest overall report, Hamas announced that more than 5,000 people, including more than 2,000 children, had been killed since the start of the war.
In addition, six employees of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees were killed in Gaza in the space of 24 hours, according to the UN, bringing to 35 the number of UNRWA staff members who have died since start of the war.
⚫ Serious economic consequences
The war between Israel and Hamas risks having “serious” economic consequences, the president of the World Bank warned on Tuesday during an investors’ conference in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, nicknamed the “Davos of the desert”. Saudi Arabia, which condemned violence against civilians in Gaza, suspended talks for normalization with Israel sponsored by the United States.