Shortly before the start of Ramadan, the struggle for a ceasefire in the Gaza war continues. Meanwhile, aid for the people of Gaza is arriving by sea. The news at a glance.
While the mediators in the Gaza war continue to push for a ceasefire immediately before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, preparations are underway for aid deliveries to the bombed-out Gaza Strip by sea. The ship “Open Arms” belonging to the Spanish aid organization of the same name is fully loaded with aid supplies for the Gaza Strip and can set sail from the Cypriot port of Larnaca as soon as possible. According to government information, it should start by Sunday evening at the latest.
A spokesman for the Cypriot government confirmed to the German Press Agency that around 200 tons of drinking water, medicine and food were loaded. It is a test drive along the route of a planned aid corridor announced by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulidis.
It is unclear where and how the ship will unload its cargo after arriving in the waters off the coast of the Gaza Strip. Delivering the goods is considered a major challenge because there is only a small fishing port that is not deep enough for cargo ships. The US military therefore wants to set up a temporary port together with international partners, but according to the US, its construction will take two months.
Biden: Don’t allow another 30,000 deaths
Despite ongoing ceasefire negotiations, Israel is pressing ahead with preparations for a ground offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza to destroy the remaining Hamas battalions and free suspected hostages there. In the city that borders Egypt, 1.5 million desperate Palestinians are currently seeking protection in a confined space from the fighting in other areas of the sealed-off coastal area.
It should not be allowed that another 30,000 Palestinians die as a result of the action against Hamas, Biden warned in the interview when asked whether a ground offensive in Rafah represented a red line for him. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza so far. According to media reports, tens of thousands of people called for an immediate ceasefire at pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Paris and London.
Secret service: Hamas wants to set fire to region in Ramadan
However, according to the Israeli foreign intelligence service Mossad, Hamas is currently not interested in a ceasefire. Rather, the Islamist organization is striving to “set the (Middle East) region on fire in Ramadan,” said Mossad chief David Barnea in a statement that the Prime Minister’s Office has now published.
At the same time, Israel remains in contact with the mediators USA, Qatar and Egypt and is cooperating with them, it said. “We have not declared that the negotiations have been stopped,” said Husam Badran, a member of the Islamist organization’s political bureau, to the US newspaper “Wall Street Journal”.
According to the newspaper, the talks will continue in Cairo today. The Arab negotiators planned to push for an initially shorter ceasefire of two days at the start of Ramadan. The month of fasting, a particularly holy time for Muslims, is expected to begin on Sunday evening.
USA prepares to build temporary port facility
Meanwhile, the US military has begun transporting equipment to the region for the construction of a temporary shipping dock off the coast of Gaza. The responsible regional command Centcom announced this on the X platform, formerly Twitter. On Thursday, the USA announced the plan planned with international partners to bring food, water and medicine to the war zone.
It will take around 60 days until the pier is operational. The Israeli army agreed to coordinate the construction together with the US armed forces. Humanitarian aid could then reach Gaza by sea after appropriate inspection by Israel, said military spokesman Daniel Hagari.
Independently of the preparation of the temporary port facility, the international community is working on establishing a maritime corridor from Cyprus. “We are now close to opening the corridor – hopefully this Saturday, this Sunday,” said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at a meeting with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulidis. Germany is participating in the maritime corridor.
Biden criticizes Netanyahu
US President Biden described the situation of the people of Gaza as “desperate”. He emphasized that Israel’s defense was “still crucial.” He will never leave Israel’s side. At the same time, the US President clearly criticized the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “He’s hurting Israel more than helping Israel,” Biden said.
“I think this is a big mistake.” Netanyahu has the right to defend Israel and continue to fight Hamas. “But he must, he must, he must pay greater attention to the innocent lives that will be lost as a consequence of the measures taken,” the US president added. Recently, senior representatives of his government had increasingly toughened their tone towards Israel.
Thousands demonstrate against Netanyahu in Israel
Netanyahu is also under pressure at home. Thousands of people demonstrated in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities for the release of the hostages from Hamas and against Netanyahu’s government. Near the headquarters of the Defense Ministry, police stopped protesters from blocking a city highway, Israeli media reported. The authorities arrested 16 people. In Caesarea, a large crowd gathered in front of Netanyahu’s private villa. One of the speakers, a former general, said of the head of government: “Your policy is aimed at only one thing: staying in power at all costs, and the war serves your purposes perfectly.”
Suspects arrested in East Jerusalem
According to their own statements, Israel’s police also arrested 20 residents from the Arab-dominated eastern part of Jerusalem in the past two weeks. The suspects are accused of supporting or inciting terrorism, the police said. Increasingly, hate speech and fake news are currently being spread on the Internet in order to disrupt the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and destabilize the region.
Israel’s police say they want to “enable the safe observance of Ramadan prayers on the Temple Mount while ensuring security in the area.” The month of fasting begins on Monday in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Hamas sticks to its demands
Israel and Hamas have been negotiating a temporary ceasefire in indirect talks for several weeks. Hamas Politburo member Badran told the Wall Street Journal that they were ready for further talks. At the same time, however, he reaffirmed Hamas’ conditions. This includes a permanent ceasefire, sufficient aid supplies across all border crossings, a plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip and a complete withdrawal of the Israeli military.
The mediators’ proposal so far only called for a six-week ceasefire and a first phase of exchanging hostages for Palestinian prisoners. During this ceasefire, a permanent ceasefire and the terms of the release of all remaining hostages will be negotiated. Israel has so far shown no willingness to move away from this step-by-step plan.
The Gaza war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel’s history, in which terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups murdered around 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 in Israel on October 7th.