Attacks by Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea threaten international trade. The UN warns that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are starving to death. An overview of current events.
The EU is preparing to participate in the US initiative to secure merchant shipping in the Red Sea. According to information from the German Press Agency, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has made a suggestion as to how the mandate of the existing anti-piracy operation Atalanta could be expanded. It is currently being examined by the 27 EU states and should be formalized as quickly as possible.
According to diplomats, at an EU meeting on Thursday only Spain expressed reservations about the plan for the mandate change. It is hoped in Brussels that it is due to domestic political differences in Madrid that can be resolved quickly.
Operation “Prosperity Guardian”, launched by the USA, aims to significantly increase the international military presence in the Red Sea.
Houthis attack ships in the Red Sea
After the Gaza war began, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels repeatedly attacked ships in the Red Sea to prevent them from passing through to Israel. The Houthis’ goal is to force an end to the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. Several EU states had already pledged bilateral support for the US initiative. However, Spain and Germany, among others, would like an EU mandate for participation.
According to EU diplomats, the new mandate will enable warships from EU countries to take part in monitoring the Red Sea. It is also conceivable that merchant ships could be accompanied by naval units that have defense systems against missiles and threats. However, it is considered unlikely that participation in pro-active military actions against Houthi rebels will be planned.
The Gaza war was triggered by the horrific terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7th. They murdered more than 1,200 people. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive.
USA: Over 20 countries participate in military alliance
According to the USA, more than 20 countries have so far agreed to take part in “Prosperity Guardian”. The United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and the Seychelles are taking part in the alliance. Large shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the route through which around ten percent of all world trade passes.
People in Yemen demonstrate against US military initiative
Thousands of people in Yemen have taken to the streets to protest against the US-led military coalition in the Red Sea. The Houthi-controlled Saba news agency published numerous news stories about demonstrations in major cities in northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. A military spokesman released photos of large gatherings of people in Sanaa. At the same time, a statement released by the Houthis warned countries against joining the US coalition. We will respond to every enemy action.
UN: Hundreds of thousands in Gaza are at risk of starvation
Although more trucks with aid supplies are now coming to the Gaza Strip again, aid organizations complain about a lack of access to people in need. As long as the fighting continues in areas where there are civilians, the Red Cross will not be able to bring aid there, a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) recently told the US broadcaster CNN.
In view of the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian situation in the sealed-off coastal strip is becoming increasingly catastrophic. Due to the “globally unprecedented” situation, the United Nations warns that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians will die from starvation.
A new study by several U.N. agencies and other institutions on Thursday concluded that 577,000 people in the sealed-off coastal strip fall into the most severe category of hunger. Almost all residents are affected by hunger or displacement.
UN: No safe zones
Around 1.9 of the approximately 2.2 million inhabitants of the narrow Gaza Strip had to leave their houses and apartments because of the fighting. Israel has called on them to go to safe zones that the Israeli military has marked on maps. But such zones do not exist, as the United Nations emphasizes.
More than 20,000 dead in the Gaza Strip
According to the health authority in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas, 20,057 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war. The authority said on Friday that 390 people had been killed in the past two days alone. Accordingly, a total of 53,320 people are said to have been injured. The Hamas authorities recently spoke of at least 20,000 deaths, but did not specify the number. Thousands of minors are said to be among the dead. The information cannot be independently verified at this time.
In southern Gaza, more than 12,000 people per square kilometer
In the Gaza Strip, hundreds of thousands of people are now living in very small spaces due to the evictions of large areas of land ordered by Israel. The population density in Rafah in the south is more than 12,000 people per square kilometer, reported the UN emergency agency OCHA. This corresponds to four times as much as before the start of the war. For comparison: In Berlin, an average of around 4,100 people live per square kilometer; in the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, there are around 23,000 per square kilometer.
Around 1.9 of the approximately 2.2 million inhabitants of the narrow Gaza Strip had to leave their houses and apartments because of the fighting. Israel has called on them to go to safe zones that the Israeli military has marked on maps.
But such zones do not exist, emphasize the United Nations. A safe zone must at least offer places to stay, protection, sanitary facilities and enough food and drinking water. That is not the case anywhere. Some of the zones marked by Israel are just sidewalks. Buildings are completely overcrowded, many people are camping in the open air and without protection.
Dozens more foreigners are expected to leave the Gaza Strip
The departure of foreigners and Palestinians with second passports from the Gaza Strip continues. Dozens of people were due to leave the sealed-off coastal area for Egypt on Friday, according to a list from the Palestinian border authority at the Rafah crossing. These are people with British, US and Mexican citizenship.
Since the war began more than two months ago, hundreds of foreigners and dual nationals have left the country via Rafah. According to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry in November, around 7,000 people from 60 countries were temporarily staying in the Gaza Strip and wanted to leave.
Nouripour: The international community must do more for Gaza
Green Party leader Omid Nouripour has called for more help for the people in the Gaza Strip. The situation there is shocking, he told the German Press Agency in Berlin. “It is unbearable that so many people and so many children are starving in Gaza because humanitarian access is not secured. The international community must do significantly more to alleviate the suffering of the people on site.”
At the same time, Israeli hostages are still in the hands of Hamas, which is also worrying, said Nouripour. “Humanitarian breaks and access are needed so that food and medicine reach the people of Gaza and the hostages can be released.”
Reports: Israeli-American man dead in Hamas violence
According to newspaper reports, a 73-year-old man in the hands of Hamas is dead. Terrorists murdered him on October 7th and took his body to the Gaza Strip, the newspapers “Haaretz” and “Jerusalem Post” reported, citing his hometown of Nir Oz. His body is still in the Gaza Strip. According to the media, the jazz musician had both US and Israeli citizenship. His wife, also a dual national, was also abducted to the Gaza Strip on October 7th.
The couple was taking a walk through the kibbutz at the time of the massacre. According to the media, terrorists shot her husband in the head and her arm, the woman told neighbors on the phone when she called for help. There have been no signs of life from either of them since then.
Bocelli writes to released hostage
According to media reports, the Italian star tenor Andrea Bocelli wrote a letter to a woman from Israel who was kidnapped in the Gaza Strip and later released. “I wish I could hug you,” the 65-year-old wrote, as Israeli media reported on Thursday evening. The 85-year-old had previously reported on Israeli television that she hummed Bocelli’s songs every morning during her captivity to get through the time. As a hostage she had neither radio nor television.
“I want to thank you for the emotions that your story has aroused in all the people who had the privilege of hearing it, and especially in me because, incredibly, I am a part of it,” the blind man’s letter said Tenors from Tuscany continue.
Shelling from Lebanon: Israel attacks Hezbollah positions
According to the army, Israeli fighter jets have again attacked positions of the Shiite militia Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. The attack came in response to several rocket attacks by the militia on targets in northern Israel, the army said.
The Israeli artillery initially shelled the positions from which the rockets were fired. Israeli fighter jets then rose and attacked the missile sites. In addition, Hezbollah’s “terrorist infrastructure” and military facilities were hit.
The Shiite militia said its attacks targeted Israeli barracks and troop concentrations in northern Israel. Israel’s military later confirmed that one soldier was killed and another was seriously wounded. Hezbollah said two of its fighters were killed. This information could not initially be independently verified.