- The war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7 with the Palestinian Islamic Movement’s unprecedented attack on Israeli soil from the Gaza Strip.
- In retaliation, Israel vowed to “destroy” Hamas, firing relentlessly at the besieged territory that is home to 2.4 million Palestinians and launching a ground operation on 27 October.
- This Tuesday, the leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, confirmed on Tuesday that his movement had received a cease-fire proposal with Israel. Sigrid Kag, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Gaza, was concerned about Israel’s inquiry into the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).
To better understand the latest developments in the conflict between the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas and Israel, 20 minutes Take stock every evening. Between strong announcements, diplomatic breakthroughs or dramatic outcomes of battles, here are the highlights of the day.
Fact of the day
After nearly four months of war, the leader of Hamas, based in Qatar, Ismail Haniyeh, confirmed on Tuesday that his movement had received a cease-fire proposal with Israel, the result of a meeting in Paris between CIA Director William Burns. Egyptian, Israeli and Qatari officials. “Hamas is examining the proposal” and preparing its response, according to a statement in Gaza from the movement, which is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel.
Qatar, the main mediator in the conflict, announced on Monday that a ceasefire framework would be circulated to Hamas, along with a new release of hostages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured on Tuesday that Israel “will not withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip” and will not release “thousands of Palestinian terrorists” in exchange for hostages.
Number of days
26,751 has been kept. According to a report published on Monday by the Health Ministry of Hamas, this is the number of people killed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Movement, mostly women, children and teenagers. Dozens of people have died in 24 hours of bombings and fighting between the Israeli army and Hamas in the Gaza Strip: 128 people were in the territory, including dozens in Khan Yunis, a large city in southern Gaza.
Day’s punishment
“The enormous capacity, the fabric of UNRWA and their knowledge of the Gaza population is in no way capable of changing or altering it”
Sigrid Kag, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Gaza, was concerned about Israel’s inquiry into the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA). Civilian aid operations have been under threat since late last week after Israel accused 12 of its 30,000 regional personnel of involvement in a bloody October 7 attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
Twelve countries – including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan – announced the suspension of their aid to UNRWA. A closed-door meeting of these major donors is scheduled for Tuesday evening at UN headquarters in New York, at the initiative of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, to try to maintain funding for the organization.
Today’s trend
The Israeli military on Tuesday admitted to sending “large amounts of water” into tunnels used by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip to “neutralize” them, ensuring it does not compromise the civilian population’s access to drinking water. Nicknamed the “Gaza Metro” by the Israeli military, the labyrinth of galleries dug by Hamas under the Gaza Strip was first used to circumvent the Israeli-imposed blockade after Hamas took power in the region in 2007.
In addition to the potentially deadly trap the tunnels created for Israeli soldiers, some Israeli hostages released during the November ceasefire indicated they were being held there.
