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 continued searches Friday at Al-Shifa hospital, which it presents as a strategic center of Hamas, which the Palestinian Islamist movement denies. Israeli soldiers announced that they had found in “an adjacent structure of the hospital” the remains of Noa Marciano, a 19-year-old soldier, taken hostage on October 7. This is the second hostage remains that the army has announced the discovery of in Gaza in less than 24 hours.
The number of the day
24. Like the number of deaths in two days at Al-Shifa hospital, due to lack of electricity. According to Hamas, these patients died “because vital medical equipment stopped working due to the power cut” in the largest hospital complex in the Palestinian territory besieged by Israel. Most hospitals in Gaza no longer have a drop of fuel to power their generators. Israel granted daily authorization for two fuel trucks to enter Gaza this Friday.
Sentence of the day
Bombing hospitals or killing children is not in the Torah. You can’t do this”
These are the words of Turkish President Erdogan, visiting Germany this Friday. The leader said he was at the forefront of the fight against anti-Semitism during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
“For us, there should be no discrimination between Jews, Christians and Muslims in the region. I am the first to lead the fight against anti-Semitism in the world,” said the Turkish head of state. At his side, Olaf Scholz felt that Israel’s “right to defend itself” should not be “questioned”. Since the deadly Hamas attacks on October 7, the German leader has been one of Israel’s most loyal supporters.
Today’s trend
Violence continues in the West Bank. The Israeli army announced that it had killed “five terrorists” in Jenin, a stronghold of the Palestinian armed movements. Hamas claimed responsibility for an attack on a security checkpoint near Jerusalem on Thursday, in which an Israeli soldier was killed.
Two Palestinians were also killed by the Israeli army in Hebron, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The army confirmed the death toll, indicating that the two men had “fired on soldiers who (…) responded with fire”.