The Israeli army continued to carry out bombings in the Gaza Strip, where famine threatens the population.
Published on February 24, 2024 8:21 p.m
Reading time: 3 minutes
Rescue workers search for survivors after a bomb attack in Rafah, Gaza Strip, February 24, 2024. (AHMED ZAQOUT / ANADOLU / AFP)
The Israeli army continued its offensive against Hamas on Saturday, February 24, by intensively bombing the Gaza Strip. Fears of famine in the Palestinian enclave are growing due to the lack of vital humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian population. Here's what to remember from February 24th.
UNRWA suspends aid deliveries to the north
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate. According to the UN, around 2.2 million people of the 2.3 million inhabitants of the besieged area are at risk of a “mass hunger attack” due to a lack of sufficient supplies of water and food. Humanitarian aid arriving through Rafah, provided Israel gives the green light, is still insufficient and its delivery to the north is difficult due to the destruction and fighting.
On Saturday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) told the Guardian it was suspending aid deliveries to the north of the enclave. “The desperate behavior of hungry and exhausted residents is preventing the safe and regular passage of our trucks,” an official told the British daily. She assured that she did not want to “blame” these civilians and stated that “it is no longer possible to carry out humanitarian operations normally” in the area. The World Food Program had already announced on Tuesday, February 20, that it would have to stop its food deliveries to the north of the Gaza Strip in view of the “chaos and violence” there.
The death toll in Gaza is now 29,600
The Hamas government reported on Saturday “more than 70 attacks in the last 24 hours” in Deir al-Balah, Khan Younes, Rafah, Jabaliya and Gaza City. Israeli bombings before dawn claimed the lives of at least 103 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry. This brings the death toll from the conflict to at least 29,606, the vast majority of them civilians.
Tel Aviv says it killed “dozens of terrorists” in Khan Younes
Military operations against Hamas are now focused on Khan Younes, a town in the south of the Gaza Strip that has now been turned into a field of rubble. The Israeli army said Saturday that its soldiers had “eliminated dozens of terrorists,” confiscated weapons and destroyed a tunnel opening.
Demonstrators protest against the government in Israel
Rallies were held in several Israeli cities on Saturday to protest against Benjamin Netanyahu's policies. Demonstrators notably marched through the streets of the capital, Tel Aviv, and in front of the prime minister's house in Caesarea. According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, they are particularly demanding that the government do everything in its power to release the hundred or so hostages still being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The peace negotiations in Paris continue
Given Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's desire to continue the offensive, new negotiations are underway in Paris to reach a ceasefire accompanied by the release of hostages. The head of the Israeli secret service Mossad, David Barnea, arrived in the French capital on Friday at the head of a delegation. A Western source familiar with the matter told AFP that the talks “continued” on Saturday, without giving details of their content.
The Israeli war cabinet was scheduled to meet on Saturday evening after this delegation returned. “The delegation has returned from Paris, there is probably room for an agreement,” the prime minister's national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, told Israeli broadcaster N12 on Saturday evening.
At the end of January, David Barnea met in Paris with his American and Egyptian counterparts as well as the Prime Minister of Qatar, the main mediators in the conflict. According to a Hamas source, the plan discussed at the time called for a six-week pause in fighting in Gaza and the release of 200 to 300 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 35 to 40 hostages.