According to media reports, after the deadly disaster involving an aid convoy, the USA is beginning to supply the civilian population in the embattled Gaza Strip with aid supplies from the air.
US President Joe Biden announced in the White House the day before that they would join forces with Jordan and others in the coming days and drop more food and aid supplies from the air. However, given the large number of people in need in the sealed-off coastal area, the effect is likely to quickly evaporate, according to UN organizations.
The channels CNN and NBC reported, citing government sources, that three US military transport planes had dropped a total of 66 packages containing tens of thousands of meals over the crisis area.
Meanwhile, Israel’s indirect negotiations with Hamas over a temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages held by the Islamists are facing new difficulties, according to media reports. Israel does not want to take part in a new round of talks brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the USA until Hamas presents a list of the hostages still alive, the news portal “Axios” reported on Friday evening.
Biden: Aid for Gaza is far from enough
Biden emphasized that they would insist that Israel provide more trucks and more routes “so that more and more people can get the help they need.” Because the help that is currently reaching the coastal area is not enough. The US government has been denouncing the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza for weeks. The now announced drop of aid from the air is a sign that Biden cannot persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do more for the suffering Palestinians, wrote the portal “Politico”.
White House National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby announced that food would be dropped first. He didn’t name a day for it. Jordan has been dropping aid deliveries from the air since November, as has Egypt for a few days. The flights are coordinated with Israel. The US is also considering trying to deliver aid from the sea, as Kirby explained.
Hamas authority: Eleven dead in attack in Rafah
At least eleven Palestinians were killed in a suspected Israeli air strike on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, according to the health authority controlled by the Islamist Hamas. Another 50 people were injured, the authorities said. The information could not be independently verified. The Israeli military did not initially comment on the incident.
According to the health authority, tents of refugees who were in front of the entrance to the Emirati Hospital in the Tal al-Sultan district were hit. A paramedic and a nurse from the clinic are among the fatalities.
Israel: Suspend some humanitarian activities
The Israeli military has announced the temporary cessation of military activities in certain areas of the Gaza Strip in the interest of facilitating aid deliveries. A military spokesman said on The limited cessation of military activities is also intended to ensure that civilians can safely reach the distribution stations for relief supplies.
Israel’s military destroys car carrying Hezbollah fighters
The Israeli military says it hit a car carrying members of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militias in southern Lebanon. “This morning, army aircraft attacked a vehicle in southern Lebanon carrying several terrorists who were firing rockets into Israeli territory,” the army said. In addition, fighter jets attacked Hezbollah’s “terrorist infrastructure” in the Labuneh area and during the night two Hezbollah military bases near the town of Blida.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war after the massacre by Hamas and other extremist groups in Israel on October 7th, there have been repeated confrontations between Israel’s army and the Hezbollah militia in the Israeli-Lebanese border region. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant announced a few days ago that he would continue to increase military pressure on the militia in response to their daily attacks on Israel’s northern border until Hezbollah had completely withdrawn from the border with Israel. Hezbollah is allied with Hamas in Gaza, but is considered significantly more powerful.
Prospect of ceasefire in Gaza war uncertain
Meanwhile, the White House made it clear that it would continue to work on an agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza war. But the prospects for this remain uncertain. The Wall Street Journal, citing Egyptian sources, reported that Hamas had frozen its communications with mediators on Thursday because of the deaths of more than 100 Palestinians when aid arrived in northern Gaza. According to “Axios”, Israel does not want to take part in a new round of talks for the time being because Hamas has not yet given an answer to the number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons proposed by the mediators, which Israel would offer in return for the release of a certain number of hostages freedom would be released. A next round of negotiations should take place in Cairo next week.
According to media reports, according to the proposal from mediators Egypt, Qatar and the USA, a six-week ceasefire should, if possible, come into force before the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins around March 10th. During this time, 40 Israeli hostages were to be exchanged for around 400 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas still holds 134 hostages that it took to the Gaza Strip along with other extremist groups during an attack on southern Israel on October 7th. According to Israeli estimates, around 100 of them are still alive.
Israel: Rocket launch pads destroyed in Gaza Strip
The Israeli Air Force says it destroyed rocket launch pads in the Gaza Strip during the night. The Israeli city of Sderot was shelled from there on Thursday and Zikim on Friday. Both places are in close proximity to the contested coastal strip. In addition, ground troops have killed at least 28 opponents and found weapons and military equipment in fighting against the Islamist Hamas since Friday in the center of the Gaza Strip and in western areas of the southern city of Khan Yunis. A new type of weapon was also used, but the army did not want to give any further details when asked. The information could not initially be independently verified.
Government: Merchant ship after attack off Yemen
Almost two weeks after an attack by the Islamist Houthis, a badly damaged cargo ship sank off the coast of Yemen. The internationally recognized Yemeni government based in Aden reported that the British-registered ship “Rubymar” sank during the night. According to the tracking service Vesselfinder, it sails under the flag of Belize.
The US military warned of an environmental disaster a few days ago. The “Rubymar” was carrying around 41,000 tons of fertilizer. In addition, a kilometer-long oil slick had formed. The crew was taken to Djibouti in the Horn of Africa after the attack.
