“Most of those who remain are in the south of the Gaza Strip and in Rafah, and we will take care of them,” added the Israeli Prime Minister.
The Israeli army once again shelled the Gaza Strip on Saturday. Dozens of people have been killed while the city of Rafah shelters more than a million displaced Palestinians.
An Israeli drone attack in Rafah, near the Egyptian border, hit a civilian car this Sunday, without causing any casualties. It is here that more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants have found refuge. 85% of the population of the Palestinian enclave has been displaced, and almost a quarter does not have enough to eat.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported in a statement 127 deaths over the past 24 hours.
Israel says it is determined to crush Hamas and prevent it from returning to power in Gaza. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, assured Sunday February 4 that the army of the Hebrew State had destroyed “17 of 24 battalions” of the Islamist movement in power in the Palestinian enclave, and responsible for the October 7 attacks in Israel.
The European Union says it is concerned by Tel Aviv’s intentions to carry out a large offensive in Rafah. “Most of those remaining are in the southern Gaza Strip and Rafah, and we will take care of them”added the head of the Israeli government. “The pressure on Hamas is working (…) They are in a difficult situation and we are hitting them hard”affirmed for his part the Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant.
According to the latest report from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, 27,365 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since October 7 – most of them women and children. More than 66,000 people were injured.
From Beirut, Osama Hamdane confirmed that the Palestinian movement had received the truce proposal. “We can’t yet talk about an agreement” he said. After reviewing the terms of this agreement, “we will announce our position which will be based on (…) our desire to put an end to the aggression against our people as quickly as possible”he added.
A senior Hamas official in Lebanon, Osama Hamdane, said Saturday during a press conference that his movement was open to any discussion that would put an end to “aggression” Israeli in the Gaza Strip. He nevertheless considered that it was premature to talk about an agreement on a truce. A draft agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement, drawn up by Qatari, American and Egyptian mediators, notably provides for the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners incarcerated by Israel.
American Secretary of State Antony Blinken is traveling to the Middle East on Sunday to support negotiations on a new truce between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, at war for nearly four months. He is due to travel to Qatar, Egypt, Israel, the occupied West Bank and Saudi Arabia.
