Netanyahu leaves for Washington, new call to evacuate in southern Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left on Monday for Washington where he must deliver a speech to Congress, while the army prepares to attack. operations in a sector of the south of the targeted territory; by a new call &agrav; evacuate.

Mr. Netanyahu said, upon leaving Israel, that this visit was “very important” at a time of “great political uncertainty”, after the decision of American President Joe Biden not to run in the November election.

Washington, Israel's first ally and main military supporter, had become annoyed in recent months by the consequences of the Israeli response to the attack carried out on October 7 on its soil by Hamas, which started the war in the Gaza Strip, insisting on the protection of civilians and the entry of humanitarian aid.

Before delivering a speech to Congress on Wednesday, Mr. Netanyahu will meet with Joe Biden on Tuesday, according to his office.

Palestinians transport injured people to hospital, after an Israeli bombardment in Khan Younes, in the south of the Gaza Strip, July 22, 2024 © AFP – Bashar TALEB

“The atmosphere has never been so tense (…) particularly between the White House and the Israeli Prime Minister,” commented Steven Cook, Middle East specialist at the American think tank Council on Foreign Relations.

– “We can't take it anymore” –

In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli offensive continues against the Islamist movement Hamas and other Palestinian groups, particularly in regions over which the army had announced it had regained control.

Men injured in Israeli strikes on the port of the Houthi-held city of Hodeida in Yemen receive treatment at a hospital, July 21, 2024 © AFP – –

On Monday, the army ordered the population to leave the east of Khan Younès, the largest city in the south devastated by months of fighting, where it announced it was preparing an “intensive operation against the terrorist organizations” after rocket fire towards Israel.

According to a map released by the army, residents of eastern Khan Younes must head west, that is to say along the sea, in an area that the army calls a “humanitarian zone”. of al-Mawasi.

“We are going to live in the streets. And still, even the sidewalks are filled with people and tents. We are exhausted. We cannot “We can't get enough of these trips,” testified Youssef Abu Taimah, a man who was leaving the city, displaced for the fourth time with his family.

According to the Ministry of Hamas Health, at least 14 people were killed by bombings in Khan Younes on Monday morning, while a medical source at the city's Nasser hospital reported 26 deaths.

Witnesses told AFP they saw intense artillery fire in the east of Khan Younes governorate.

< IMG Alt = "AFP" SRC = "https://img-4.linternaux.com/zxu1ljjvguziywn545k_q8k9tko=/600x/smart/1812e13751b34781b038933a49d12a3d/ccmcms- JPG " /> Damage to the port of Hodeida, a city in Yemen held by the Houthis, the day after Israeli strikes, July 21, 2024 © AFP – –

The war was sparked on October 7 by an unprecedented attack carried out in southern Israel by Hamas commandos infiltrated from Gaza, which resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count. based on official Israeli data.

Of 251 people then kidnapped, 116 are still being held in Gaza, of whom 42 are dead, according to the army.

In response, the Israeli army launched an offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has so far left 38,983 dead, mostly civilians, according to data from the Ministry of Health of the Gaza government, led by Hamas.

Benjamin Netanyahu promised to destroy Hamas, in power in Gaza since 2007, considered a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel.

– Netanyahu under pressure –

Israel: drone attack in Tel Aviv © AFP – Omar KAMAL

His visit to the United States comes as Yemeni Houthi rebels and Lebanese Hezbollah, both allies of Iran, have opened fronts against Israel, in support of the Palestinians in the besieged territory.

The day after a Houthi drone attack left one dead in Tel Aviv, Israel on Saturday bombed the strategic port of Hodeida, held by the rebels in western Yemen, killing six and injuring dozens. This was the first strike claimed by Israel in Yemen.

Demonstrators protest at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, before the departure for Washington of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, July 21, 2024 © AFP – Menahem Kahana

As the fire caused by the Israeli bombardment rages in this port, the Houthis and Israel have exchanged new threats.

With the Qatar and Egypt, Washington is trying to relaunch negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas associated with the release of the hostages. Mr. Netanyahu announced Sunday evening that he had given the green light to sending a new delegation on Thursday to discuss an agreement.

The Prime Minister is under very strong pressure from relatives of the hostages, who are demanding an agreement for their release. On Sunday, Israelis protested again at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, before Benjamin Netanyahu left for Washington.

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