Any operation by Israeli forces in Rafah, at the southern end of the Gaza Strip, would “threaten” negotiations for the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a Hamas official warned yesterday, while the organization’s armed wing, the Ezedin al Qasam Brigades, stated that in the Israeli bombings of the last 3 days, two hostages had died and eight were seriously injured.
Israeli Prime Minister Beniamin Netanyahu responded in an interview that there are still “enough” hostages – 132 – held by Hamas that justify continuing the offensive to free them, as well as to recover the bodies of the deceased.
“Any attack by the (Israeli) occupation army on the city of Rafah would threaten the negotiations” on the hostages still in the Gaza Strip, the aforementioned Hamas official told the AFP agency. According to him, Netanyahu “is trying to free himself” from the negotiations “by committing genocide and a new catastrophe in Rafah.” What the prime minister and the army “have not achieved in more than four months, they will not do no matter how long the war lasts,” he said.
The Israeli prime minister ordered a few days ago to prepare an offensive on Rafah, located on the closed border with Egypt, where there are 1.5 million Palestinians, the vast majority of them displaced people. Abroad, several countries have warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe” if there is an assault on the city. Joe Biden himself warned Netanyahu yesterday that Israel should not begin an operation in Rafah without a plan to ensure the protection of the million people sheltered there. Biden’s warning comes days after he himself said Israel’s response in Gaza was “overblown.”
Negotiations for a truce have been underway for weeks, including a ceasefire of at least six weeks and the release of hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
UNRWA, the main UN agency providing aid to Palestinians in Gaza, faces increasing obstacles from Israel. A shipment of 1,049 containers equivalent to a month’s food supply for 1.1 million people is blocked at Ashdod port, agency head Philippe Lazzarini said.
The Palestinian Red Crescent denounced yesterday that the Al Amal hospital, in Khan Younes, has lost the last ambulance that remained operational in the medical center after an Israeli attack, which broke into the hospital three days ago, where thousands of people were taking refuge. , who were forced to evacuate it. “The occupation attacked the main gate of Al Amal Hospital, causing damage to the building and putting one of the Palestine Red Crescent vehicles out of service. This vehicle was the only option available after the occupation left all other vehicles unusable,” Media Luna wrote in a statement on the X social network.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least 123 ambulances have been destroyed by the Israeli army since October 7. Likewise, 130 health institutions have been partially or totally damaged by the Israeli attacks, which have forced 30 hospitals and 53 health centers out of service. The Ministry has also reported the death of 340 doctors and the arrest of 99.
