UPDATE ON THE SITUATION – Several raids by the Israeli army took place during the night in the occupied West Bank, while in Gaza nighttime strikes left 77 dead, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health.
Khan Younes is now the epicenter of the fighting in Gaza, where strikes during the night from Thursday to Friday, January 19, left 77 dead, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health. The landlocked territory is becoming more and more conducive to the spread of diseases: the WHO has revealed the appearance of cases of hepatitis A and thousands of cases of jaundice in Gaza. IDF raids also occurred in the occupied West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority has counted six deaths since Wednesday. Le Figaro takes stock of the conflict in the Middle East.
Nighttime strikes in Gaza kill 77
The Israeli army intensely bombed the south of the Gaza Strip on Friday, January 19 against the backdrop of a major dispute between Israel and Washington over a possible Palestinian state and an increasing regionalization of the conflict off the coast of Yemen. In the early hours of Friday, witnesses reported shootings and airstrikes in Khan Younes, the main town in the south of the Gaza Strip where according to Israel many members of the local leadership of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas are hiding.
The Palestinian Red Crescent deplored “intense» artillery fire «in the surrounding area» from the local al-Amal hospital, the Hamas Ministry of Health reporting 77 deaths in nighttime strikes including in Khan Younes, now the epicenter of the fighting. “Soldiers supported by artillery and aviation eliminated dozens of terrorists (in hand-to-hand combat)» in Khan Younes, indicated the Israeli army, claiming to have reached the sector “southernmost» of Gaza since the start of its ground deployment which began in the very north of the Palestinian territory.
In Gaza, where around 80% of the population has been displaced by raids or fighting, the humanitarian situation remains critical. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced overnight that it had identified 24 cases ofhepatitis Aa viral infection of the liver and “thousands» cases of jaundice «probably» linked to the spread of this hepatitis. “Inhumane living conditions – almost no drinking water, clean toilets, and ability to keep surroundings clean – will allow hepatitis A to spread further“, wrote on X the boss of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, evoking a health context “explosive“.
A Palestinian state?
“We will not be satisfied with anything less than total victory, which means the elimination of terrorist leaders, the destruction of Hamas’ operational and military capabilities, the return of our hostages home, the demilitarization of Gaza with security control. of total Israel and on everything that enters into» this Palestinian territory, declared Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday January 18. “Victory will take many months“, he insisted. And to add: “Israel must have security control over all territory west of the Jordan River. This is a necessary condition, which contradicts the idea of (Palestinian) sovereignty.“.
“We obviously see things differently.», said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, questioned about comments from Benjamin Netanyahu seeming to reject American requests. The United States, Israel’s main ally and key supporter in its operation against Hamas, repeats for its part that the creation and recognition of a viable Palestinian state are necessary to consider a “real security“.
During the night, the army carried out raids in different sectors of the occupied West Bank, notably in Tulkarem where the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian Authority has counted at least six deaths since Wednesday. “Without an independent Palestinian state (…) there will be neither security nor stability in the region. The entire region is on the verge of a volcanic eruption due to aggressive policies of the Israeli occupation authorities against the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights“, declared the spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a reaction to Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments.
The international community already fears an spillover of the conflict with the daily exchanges of fire on the Israeli-Lebanese border, the increase in Houthi attacks against merchant ships in the Red Sea and in the Gulf of Aden and the intensification of American strikes in Yemen.
Houthis against Washington
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Early Friday, Yemeni rebels claimed responsibility for firing on an American tanker, the Chem Ranger, traveling in the Gulf of Aden, a new attack by this Iran-backed group against merchant ships in “solidarity» with Gaza. According to the specialist site Marine Traffic, the Chem Ranger is an oil tanker flying the flag of the Marshall Islands which has been off the coast of Yemen in recent days.
The American military command in the Middle East (Centcom) confirmed that the Houthis had indeed targeted the Chem Ranger, but without reaching him as the rebels claim. The crew “saw the missiles hit the water near the ship», indicated Centcom, ensuring that there had been no damage or injuries.
Earlier on Thursday, the United States bombed Houthi missiles, saying they were ready to “be launched imminently into the Red Sea“. It was the fifth time that Washington, sometimes with the support of London, bombed positions of the Houthis, a movement put back on Wednesday by Washington on one of its lists of organizations “terrorists“.
“The madness and idiocy of the United States and the United Kingdom have worked against them: now none of their ships will be able to cross one of the main trade routes in the world“, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi political leadership, told the Russian daily Izvestia on Friday. And to add, conversely, that the ships of Russia and China are not threatened: “we are even ready to ensure their safe passage through the Red Sea“.
Beijing calls to restore security in the Red Sea
China’s Ministry of Commerce has called for “restore and ensure the safety of the Red Sea waterways“, of which he “follows closely» the situation after attacks by Houthi rebels on ships in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. “It is hoped that the parties concerned will act in the general interest of regional security and stability as well as in the common interest of the international community“, declared a spokesperson for the ministry, He Yadong, according to the Xinhua news agency.
Beijing calls on the parties involved to “restore and guarantee the security of the waterways of the Red Sea to ensure the normal order of international trade“, he added. “We will also strengthen coordination with relevant departments, closely monitor relevant developments, and provide timely support and assistance to foreign trade enterprises.», Declared the spokesperson quoted by the state agency.
In response to Houthi rebel attacks on ships traveling in the Red Sea, US and British forces struck Houthi sites in Yemen. Houthi attacks targeting dozens of merchant ships that they consider “related to Israel» have forced many shipowners to suspend the passage of their fleet through this crucial area for international trade.