LIVE – Gaza: Israel says it is reopening the Kerem Shalom crossing point to “entry humanitarian aid”

Russian diplomacy called on Wednesday for “strict respect” of international humanitarian law regarding the Israeli incursion in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, describing it as a “destabilizing factor”.

“We demand strict compliance with the provisions of international humanitarian law,” declared its spokesperson Maria Zakharova, considering that the start of Israel’s land military operation in Rafah constituted an “additional destabilizing factor, including for the entire region.

The African Union on Wednesday condemned the incursion by the Israeli army into Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, and called on the international community to “stop the deadly escalation”, in a statement.

“The President of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat expresses his extreme concern at the war undertaken by Israel in Gaza which results, at every moment, in massive deaths and systematic destruction,” it is indicated in this press release published in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.

Negotiations for a hypothetical truce in the Gaza Strip have resumed in Cairo, Egypt,”in the presence of all parties“, specify the Egyptian media. Israel and Hamas are therefore taking part in these talks.

In a statement, Qatar calls on the international community to prevent a “genocide” in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, in the face of the threat of a large-scale offensive by the Israeli army on this town which has become a refuge for 1.4 million Palestinians on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip.

The Gulf country, mediator in negotiations on a truce between Israel and Palestinian Hamas, called in a statement “for urgent international action that would prevent the city from being invaded and a crime of genocide from being committed.” clerk”.

The Israeli army announced on Wednesday the reopening of the Kerem Shalom crossing point to “enter humanitarian aid” into the Gaza Strip, four days after its closure following rocket fire on the area.

“Trucks from Egypt carrying humanitarian aid, including food, water, shelter, medicine and medical equipment donated by the international community, are already arriving at the crossing point,” it said. army in a press release.

Our correspondent in Israel, Nicolas Rouger, takes stock of the situation in Rafah, an access point with Egypt in the south of the Gaza Strip and blocked by the IDF since Tuesday.

Ceasefire talks continue in Cairo, Egypt. According to the number two of the political branch of Hamas in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, the proposal accepted by his movement includes three phases, each lasting 42 days, and includes an Israeli withdrawal from the territory, the return of the displaced and an exchange of hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners, with the aim of a “permanent ceasefire”.

The United States suspended the delivery of a shipment of bombs last week after Israel’s failure to respond to Washington’s “concerns” over an announced offensive on Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, a a senior US official said on Tuesday. “We suspended the delivery of a weapons shipment last week. It consists of 1,800 2,000-pound (907 kg) bombs and 1,700 500-pound (226 kg) bombs,” the senior military official said. administration of US President Joe Biden on condition of anonymity.

“We have not made a final decision on how to proceed with this shipment,” he added. This decision was taken as Washington opposes a large-scale offensive prepared by Israeli troops in Rafah.

An Israeli airstrike killed at least seven people and injured many others early today in Gaza City, a local hospital said. An airstrike on an apartment killed seven members of the al-Louh family in the northern Gaza City, al-Ahli hospital said. Witnesses also reported shootings and strikes in the center and south of the Gaza Strip, particularly in the Rafah sector.