The Israeli army killed at least 40 Palestinians in attacks in central Gaza, on the eve of a new round of international negotiations aimed at brokering a truce and as Tel Aviv presented a plan for the enclave after the end of the war.
The “heinous massacre” committed by Israeli forces in Deir el-Balah, in the central part of the territory, injured more than 100 people, the Gaza government media office said in a statement on Thursday, adding that the overwhelming The majority of victims were women and children. .
“We hold the U.S. administration and the international community, as well as Israel, fully responsible for these ongoing crimes, and we call on the free world to immediately end this war of extermination that the Israeli army is waging against civilians. “, we can read. said.
Reporting from Rafah in southern Gaza, Tel Aviv Tribune’s Tareq Abu Azzoum said residential homes were “attacked without any prior warning” during the strikes.
Hamas said in a statement Friday that the attacks on homes “confirm to the international community that it (Israel) is a rogue entity that does not care about laws and human values.”
More than 29,000 Palestinians, mostly children and women, have been killed by the Israeli army since the war began on October 7, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Yet U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said late Thursday that negotiations for a ceasefire and the exchange of prisoners held in the enclave for Palestinian prisoners had been “constructive”.
A Hamas delegation left Cairo, Egypt, on Friday after three days of talks for which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not send representatives.
Negotiations between Egypt and Qatar are expected to continue on Friday in Paris, with the sending of an Israeli delegation. A new ceasefire proposal could be drawn up in the French capital, but details remain unclear.
“Freedom to operate” in the future Gaza
Israel’s deadly ground and air attacks on Gaza continue as Tel Aviv pursues plans for the future of the besieged enclave that run counter to what the United States and other global and regional powers declared that they wanted to see in the Palestinian territory. .
Israel’s post-war plan envisions installing “local officials” without ties to countries or entities that support “terrorism” to administer Gaza, according to a Times of Israel report on a plan presented by Netanyahu.
The report says the Israeli military will “retain indefinite freedom to operate throughout” the Gaza Strip – in the same way it militarily occupies the remaining Palestinian territories in the West Bank.
Netanyahu’s plan also describes the “complete demilitarization” of Gaza “beyond what is required for the purposes of maintaining law and order” and makes no mention of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which Washington wants see controlling the territory after the war. on.
The Israeli prime minister, who presented the document to his security cabinet, previously said the PA would not be part of a future post-war Gaza.
Israel has also moved forward with plans to establish a “buffer zone” on the Palestinian side of its border with the Gaza Strip, which will effectively reduce the territory’s borders, despite objections from the United Nations.
To carry out this plan, the Israeli army razed houses and buildings along the planned area using airstrikes, large explosives planted by its ground forces and bulldozers.
Analyst Ben Friedman said that even though US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expresses concern for the lives of Palestinians in Gaza, Washington is unwilling to “really stand up to Israel.”
“In my opinion, it threatens them with withdrawing support, including financial support, if they don’t do what we’ve asked them to do,” Friedman, policy director at the think tank Defense Priorities, told Tel Aviv Tribune.
“You must threaten Israel with consequences if it does not agree to what you demand. Otherwise, it is just empty rhetoric designed to appear critical without actually making a difference,” he added.
This week, the United States again vetoed a third UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, drawing widespread international condemnation.
