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.
The fact of the day
Two young French people are among those injured in the car attack Monday in Ra’anana, in central Israel, which left one dead and 17 injured, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. “France condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attack which left at least one dead and 17 injured, including several children, today in Raanana. Two young compatriots are among the injured,” indicates the Quai d’Orsay, specifying that the French consulate general in Tel Aviv is “fully mobilized”.
“Nothing justifies terrorism,” according to the ministry’s statement, assuring Israel of its “solidarity in this ordeal.” A woman was killed and at least 17 other people were injured in the attack, announced the emergency services and the Israeli police, who added that they had arrested two Palestinian suspects. Six children were hospitalized, according to medical services.
The number of the day
2. Hamas released a new video on Monday announcing the death of two Israeli male hostages who were kidnapped in southern Israel on October 7 and have since been held in the Gaza Strip. This video released by the Islamist movement shows a young woman, also a hostage, visibly under pressure, claiming that two men with whom she was detained are dead.
In a statement, Hamas’ military wing said that “they were killed in Zionist bombings on Gaza.” No indication of the filming date is given in the video. Hamas broadcast a video on Sunday evening showing these three hostages alive, who called on the Israeli authorities to work for their release.
According to Israeli media, the young woman is Noa Argamani, 26, who was kidnapped during the Nova techno festival. The two men are identified by Israeli media as Yossi Sharabi, 53, and Itay Svrisky, 38, who were kidnapped from Kibbutz Beeri.
Sentence of the day
“Nothing can justify the collective punishment inflicted on the Palestinian people.”
It is the work of the UN Secretary General. Antonio Guterres called on Monday for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip after more than 100 days of war between Israel and Hamas. “We continue to call for rapid, safe, unimpeded, extensive, and continuous humanitarian access into and through Gaza,” he said in a speech to the press, adding that “nothing can justify the collective punishment inflicted to the Palestinian people.”
Today’s trend
The intensive phase of the war “will end soon” in the southern Gaza Strip, where Israeli strikes are currently strongest, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Monday. “We clearly said that the intensive stage of operations would last approximately three months”, “in the south, we will achieve it and it will end soon”, declared the minister according to whom, “the moment will arrive when we will enter the next phase” of the war in Gaza.
In the Gaza Strip, Hamas reported more than 60 people killed by Israeli strikes overnight and Monday morning, notably in Rafah and Khan Younes, in the south, where the Israeli army is now concentrating its operations. In total, Hamas announced this Monday a death toll of 24,100 in Israeli bombardments on the Gaza Strip since it began, 101 days ago. And the conflict is expected to continue according to the Israeli government.