This content was published on 14 February 2024 – 14:01
From Nidal Al-Maghribi
CAIRO (Reuters) – Palestinians crowded into their last shelter in the Gaza Strip expressed growing fears on Wednesday that Israel will soon launch a planned attack on the city of Rafah in the southern Strip after talks in Cairo on a truce concluded without achieving a breakthrough.
The talks in Cairo, which included the United States, Israel, Egypt and Qatar, ended with no sign of a breakthrough on Tuesday and no date for the next meeting was announced.
The failure to reach an agreement dealt a new blow to more than a million Palestinians crowded into Rafah on the border with Egypt, where many live in camps and temporary shelters after fleeing Israeli bombing elsewhere in Gaza.
The Israeli army says it wants to expel Palestinian militants from their hideouts in Rafah and free Israeli hostages held there since the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) attack on Israel on October 7, but did not provide details of a proposed plan to evacuate civilians.
Saeed Jaber, a businessman from Gaza who lives in Rafah with his family, told Reuters via a messaging application, “The news was disappointing. We were hoping that there would be a deal in Cairo. Now we have started counting down to the invasion of Israeli tanks. If he wants it, it will not happen, of course, but who can?” Prevent them?
He added, “We lost our homes and businesses. Isn’t that enough?” Enough war. We still need dozens of years to rebuild Gaza and get our lives back again.”
Israel says it is taking steps to reduce civilian casualties to a minimum and accuses Hamas fighters of infiltrating civilians, including in hospitals and shelters, which Hamas denies.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who is expected to hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, said that any Israeli military attack on Rafah would “completely jeopardize the humanitarian situation.”
“Because the people in Rafah cannot simply evaporate into the air,” she said in a statement issued in Berlin. They need safe places and safe passages to avoid getting caught in the crossfire further. They need more humanitarian aid. “They need a ceasefire.”
* Bombing during the night
Palestinian witnesses said that Israeli forces bombed areas east of Rafah during the night.
Residents reported that Israeli planes and tanks bombed several areas in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, and that fierce fighting took place in some areas of the city.
The Ministry of Health in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said that Israeli forces continue to isolate the two main hospitals in Khan Yunis, and that sniper bullets targeting Nasser Hospital in the city killed and wounded a large number in the past few days.
One of the doctors, speaking in a video clip from inside Nasser Hospital, indicated that the hospital has been under siege by Israeli forces for 22 days, and that bulldozers protected by tanks demolished the northern gate of the hospital.
Dr. Haitham Ahmed said in the video clip, which Reuters has not been able to verify yet, “There are cases of panic, especially after we woke up this morning to violent bombing, violent explosions, and severe clashes in the northern area of the hospital.” “It is scary and there is little food.”
Residents of Rafah said on Tuesday that dozens of displaced people began leaving the city after Israeli bombing and air strikes in recent days.
The Gaza Ministry of Health reported on Wednesday that at least 28,576 Palestinians had been killed and 68,291 others wounded in the Israeli campaign on the Strip since October 7.
The ministry’s statement added that during the past 24 hours, 103 Palestinians were killed and 145 others were injured.
Many others are believed to be buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings across the densely populated Gaza Strip, much of which is in ruins. Supplies of food, water and other necessities are running low, and diseases are spreading.
Israeli statistics indicate that at least 1,200 Israelis were killed and about 250 hostages were taken in the attack launched by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7.
* Inconclusive conversations
The Egyptian State Information Service quoted a statement from the Egyptian Presidency that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with CIA Director William Burns and the Qatari Prime Minister during talks that took place on Tuesday with the aim of reaching a truce agreement in Gaza, protecting civilians, and delivering more aid to the Strip.
The statement explained that “it was confirmed that intensive consultation and coordination will continue” on the main issues, indicating that no progress has been achieved.
The statement did not contain any reference to Israel. A Reuters correspondent said that the Israeli delegation left Cairo to return to its country. Netanyahu’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
An informed source described the talks as “good” and said that the two sides agreed to continue discussions, but refused to specify the location and date of the new round of talks.
A Palestinian official said that Egypt and Qatar will continue to talk to the warring parties separately.
The official continued, “There is no choice but to continue efforts to stop this war. This is a shared position by both Egypt and Qatar and is also supported by the United States,” calling on Israel to soften its position.
Israel pledged to continue fighting until Hamas is eliminated and all hostages are returned. Hamas says Israel must commit to ending the war and withdrawing from Gaza.
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2024-02-14 13:01:42
