Over 120 days of war and thousands of deaths. China on Tuesday, February 13, called on Israel to stop “as fast as possible” In order for its military operation in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip “To prevent an even graver humanitarian disaster”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently ordered his army to prepare for an offensive on Rafah, home to 1.4 million Palestinians, or more than half of the territory’s total population, according to the UN. Follow our live stream.
New talks in Qatar. CIA Director Richard Burns is expected in Cairo on Tuesday for new talks brokered by Qatar, particularly on the exchange of Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian Islamic Movement. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, one of Israel’s most critical leaders, is also expected in Dubai on Tuesday and Cairo on Wednesday.
The catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. About 550,000 people find themselves facing catastrophic food insecurity, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization condemned. In Rafah, the last refuge for fleeing civilians, many residents sleep outside in tents or makeshift shelters, which lack access to water, food and sanitation services.
Release of two Hamas hostages. According to Hamas, Israel freed two of its hostages, two Israeli-Argentinians, in Rafah on the Egyptian border, during a night commando operation from Sunday to Monday night, in which about a hundred people were killed in a bomb blast. The two hostages, Fernando Marman, 60, and Luis Herr, 70, are in stable condition.
