Mahmoud Abbas has called on the Islamist group to quickly reach a ceasefire deal

Discussions “positive” Around the ceasefire, expected invasion of Rafah, Israeli attacks on Lebanon… Le Figaro This Wednesday, February 14, takes stock of the situation in the Middle East.

The Palestinian president has called on Hamas to quickly conclude a cease-fire deal

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday called for an end to Hamas “immediately” The cease-fire agreement to avert an Israeli offensive on Rafah comes at a time when talks are underway in Cairo on a cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip. “We call on Hamas to quickly conclude the agreement on prisoners, to save our Palestinian people from another catastrophe, no less dangerous than the Nakba of 1948, and to avoid the occupation attack on Rafah that will result in thousands of victims and the displacement of our people.”, Mahmoud Abbas said, as quoted by the Palestinian agency Wafa. Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority he leads are accused by many Palestinians of being largely passive in dealing with the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Located in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, they are not participating in the ongoing negotiations in Cairo.

“Positive” discussions around the ceasefire

Egypt, the traditional mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly in Gaza, hosted American and Israeli intelligence directors as well as the head of the Qatari government on Tuesday for talks on a ceasefire, including a new release of hostages. The Israeli delegation then left Cairo, Israeli media reported on Wednesday.

Discussions took place between CIA Director William Burns, Mossad Chief David Barnea, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdelrahman Al-Thani and Egyptian officials. “positive”, announced Al Cairo News Television, which is close to Egyptian intelligence. They will continue in the meantime “Next Three Days”The same source is indicated.

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Also readMiddle East: Israel seeks ceasefire with Hamas

Khalil al-Hayya, an official in Hamas’s political bureau, will lead a delegation to Cairo to meet the heads of the Egyptian and Qatari intelligence services, possibly on Wednesday, a source in the Islamist movement told AFP. Power in Gaza since 2007.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, highly critical of Israel’s invasion of Gaza, also arrived in Cairo.

Israeli army airstrikes on Lebanon

Israel’s military announced on Wednesday that it had launched a fighter jet “Series of Raids on Lebanon” The neighbor fears an escalation between the two bordering countries after months of daily exchanges of fire over the war in Gaza. The army has not released further details about the raid at this stage, while Lebanese media reported the three villages affected were Adchit, Sawneh and Chehabih. According to Israeli medical sources, the raids came after several people were injured by a rocket fired from Lebanon in northern Israel on Wednesday. Seven people were injured, including five in the White City, according to Magen David Adom emergency services.

An AFP photographer saw doctors and soldiers evacuating a wounded man from Safed Hospital by military helicopter to another facility. The rocket attack has not been claimed at this stage by the pro-Iranian Hezbollah. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said on Tuesday “When the offensive in Gaza stops and there is a ceasefire, the firing will stop in the south too” From Lebanon. “If they expand the confrontation, so will we”Hassan Nasrallah said, in response to repeated threats by Israeli officials to launch a war against Lebanon.

Expect an invasion of Rafah

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently ordered the Israeli army to prepare for an offensive on Rafah, which he said would “The Last Bastion” of Hamas. About 1.4 million Palestinians, more than half of Gaza’s population, according to the UN, live in the city, which straddles the closed border with Egypt, most fleeing the four-month-old war in the encircled territory by Israel.

Also readGaza: In Rafah, the Israeli army faces the possibility of a final high-risk attack

“Military Operation in Rafah Could Lead to Genocide in Gaza”, the UN humanitarian affairs chief, Martin Griffiths, warned on Tuesday, calling on Israel not to “continue to ignore” the appeals of the international community. The Hamas government’s health ministry reported on Wednesday that 104 people, mostly women and children, had died overnight in the Israeli attack.

Despite numerous international warnings, Benjamin Netanyahu said he was determined to continue “Military Pressure to Complete Victory” On Hamas, and the release of hostages. Still, he assured Sunday that Israel would remain open to the population “safe passage” to leave Rafah, without specifying which destination.

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The international community calls for the rescue of civilians

The United States, Israel’s main ally, opposes the invasion without guaranteeing the safety of civilians. President Joe Biden asked Israel for a plan “reliable” To protect the population. China also urged Israel on Tuesday to stop “as fast as possible” Its military operation in Rafah.

Germany called on Israel to guarantee safe passage to protect civilians in Rafah, where two Al Jazeera journalists were seriously injured in an Israeli strike, according to a Qatari channel.

Dublin and Madrid want the EU to investigate whether Israel respects human rights

Spain and Ireland asked Brussels to investigate “instant” on “respect” Through Israel for human rights in Gaza, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on social network X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday. “Critical situation faced in Rafah”South of the Gaza Strip, the Spanish and Irish governments sent a letter to the European Commission asking it to investigate. “Urgent if Israel fulfills its commitments to respect human rights in Gaza”, supports the Socialist Prime Minister in this message. The letter to the Commission, published on the website of La Moncloa (Presidency of the Spanish Government), clarifies that “Gaza faces an intolerable situation and risks an even greater humanitarian catastrophe due to the intensification of Israeli military operations against Rafah”.asks the Dublin and Madrid Commissions “Immediate Assessment of the EU/Israel Association Agreement”.. The goal of this “Assessment” By the commission, the letter continues, is to be verified “If essential points of relationship are respected in terms of human rights and democratic principles”. Both countries also request “That the Council of the EU takes appropriate measures in the event that it concludes that Israel is not honoring the commitments to which it has subscribed”.

In Brussels, Commission spokeswoman Ariana Podesta confirmed that the EU’s executive body had received the message. “We received it this morning, a few minutes ago.”

The commission will, she said during a press briefing “Study” it. “Obviously we have nothing to add at this time.”, she concluded. Nabila Masrali, another spokeswoman for the European Union, said the commission “When it comes to Israel, all parties (urged) to respect international law.”. “There must be accountability for violations of international law”she said.

Israel hunts Yahya Sinauar

Israel’s military released a video on Tuesday showing Yahya Sinauar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, in a tunnel on October 10, three days after the start of the war. there “chasing” The alleged mastermind of the October 7 attacks “We will not stop until we capture him dead or alive”Israeli army spokesman, Daniel Hagari, confirmed, emphasizing the fact that he managed to escape for four months.

A proposal to build 15 refugee camps in the southwest of the Gaza Strip

According to The Wall Street Journal, Israel will propose building 15 huge camps of 25,000 tents each in the southwest of the Gaza Strip, as part of the evacuation plan. Rafah, which has become a large encampment, is the main entry point for humanitarian aid into Gaza, which is insufficient to meet the needs of the population. “Famine-like condition”According to the World Food Program (WFP).