UPDATE ON THE SITUATION – During the same speech, the Israeli Prime Minister also announced that he wanted new peace agreements to “radically change the Middle East”.
This Monday, Benjamin Netanyahu announced that progress had been made in the negotiations on the hostages in Gaza. The prime minister also said he wanted new peace agreements. Le Figaro takes stock of the situation this Monday, December 23.
Netanyahu speaks of “progress” towards an agreement on hostages in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke “advances” for an agreement on the hostages held in the Gaza Strip since the unprecedented attack of October 7, 2023 in Israel by Palestinian Hamas.
“Not everything we do can be revealed, but we are taking action to bring them home. I would like to cautiously say that progress has been made and we will not stop until they are all home.”he said during a speech in Parliament.
Israeli army announces death of three soldiers in combat in Gaza
The Israeli army announced Monday the death in combat of three soldiers from the same battalion, two aged 21 and one aged 22, in the north of the Gaza Strip, the scene of more than a year of war between the Palestinian movement Hamas and Israel.
This brings to 389 the number of Israeli soldiers killed in the Palestinian territory since the start of the war triggered by an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023.
Netanyahu wants new peace deals to “radically change the Middle East”
Benjamin Netanyahu said he wanted to sign new peace agreements in order to “radically change the Middle East”.
“With our American friends, I intend to expand the accords d’Abraham and thus change the Middle East even further and radically”he declared during his speech in Parliament. Here he is referring to the agreements negotiated by the United States in 2020 which saw Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan establish formal ties with Israel.
Netanyahu says he asked army to 'destroy Houthi infrastructure'
The Israeli prime minister said he asked the army to “destroy infrastructure” Houthi rebels from Yemen who fired a missile on Saturday at Tel Aviv, in central Israel.
“I asked our armed forces to destroy the infrastructure of the Houthis because anyone who tries to attack us must be hit with force”he declared during an intervention in Parliament
UNIFIL “urges” the Israeli army to accelerate its withdrawal from southern Lebanon
In a statement, UNIFIL “urged an acceleration of the withdrawal of the Israeli army and the deployment of the Lebanese armed forces in southern Lebanon”calling “all actors to cease any violation of resolution 1701 and to refrain from any action likely to compromise the fragile stability that currently prevails”.
This request from UNIFIL comes a few hours after that of the Lebanese Prime Minister who called on Paris and Washington to “put pressure” on Israel for “accelerate” the withdrawal of its army from southern Lebanon, almost a month after the entry into force of a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The United States and France are part of the five-party committee, with Lebanon, Israel and the UN force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), supposed to monitor the application of the ceasefire and all potential violations.
Gaza: 58 dead in 24 hours, announces Hamas Ministry of Health
The Hamas government's Health Ministry for the Gaza Strip announced Monday that at least 58 people had been killed in the past 24 hours in this Palestinian territory, the scene of more than 14 months of war with Israel.
This brings the total death toll to 45,317, he said in a statement, adding that 107,713 people had also been injured in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war.
West Bank: a second police officer killed in two days in inter-Palestinian violence
A police officer was killed Monday in inter-Palestinian violence between security forces and armed men in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, local authorities said.
This is the second agent killed in two days in this northern West Bank city, scene of intense fighting for more than two weeks between armed groups and the security forces of the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited control over the territory.
Mehran Qadous was killed “after being cowardly targeted by outlaws in the Jenin camp”Palestinian security forces spokesman Anwar Rajab said in a statement.
