“No hostages will remain in the Gaza Strip.” This was promised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the meeting with the relatives of the people still in the hands of Hamas since 7 October. ”They are our heroes” he defined them, adding that he knows that ”every day that passes is hell”. Netanyahu argued that only military pressure on Hamas will lead to the release of the hostages. Because of this, Israel Defense Forces ”preparing to enter Rafah”in the southern Gaza Strip, where over a million displaced people have found shelter.
IDF: “One of ten Hamas commanders killed”
Israeli troops, stationed around the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, killed Raad Thabet, one of ten top Hamas commanders. Spokesman Daniel Hagari announced it, specifying that Thabet was killed during an escape attempt. In another area of the hospital, the soldiers had a firefight with some armed men and killed three militiamen. The ongoing operation at the hospital has led to the arrest of 900 suspected terrorists.
The Israeli Armed Forces also announced that they had destroyed, by exploding, as reported by the Times of Israel, a 2.5 kilometer stretch of Hamas tunnel, part of an underground network that connects the northern and southern areas of Gaza . According to what was announced in a press conference by IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari, over 30 tons of explosives were used in the operation.
The appeal of the International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice has issued new provisional measures against Israel after South Africa submitted a second request on March 6 in response to the famine situation in the Gaza Strip. South Africa’s complaint asked the International Court of Justice for new precautionary measures or a modification of previous ones in order to “ensure the safety of 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, including more than one million children“. Likewise, he denounced Israel’s “continuing violations” of previously established measures.
The Court thus ruled that Israel must “take all necessary and effective measures to ensure, without delay” and in coordination with the United Nations, “the unhindered and large-scale delivery” of humanitarian aid, food, water, electricity, fuel, housing, clothing, sanitation and medical care. Likewise, in its decision the Court states that it is necessary to “increase the capacity and number of land crossings” for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the population of Gaza throughout the Strip, and “keep them open for as long as necessary” . At the end of January the court had already ordered emergency measures and ordered Israel to do everything possible to prevent genocide in the Gaza Strip.
Cypriot President: “Provisional port in Gaza ready in April”
The temporary port whose construction has been announced by the United States and which is to come could be ready and operational as early as April installed along the coast of the Gaza Strip for the purpose of providing additional aid to civilians. This was announced by Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, citing a US delegation. US President Joe Biden announced on March 8 the construction of the floating dock off the coast of Gaza. The port will consist mainly of a temporary pier that will allow hundreds of trucks loaded with aid to reach the Strip every day, where there is no port deep enough for large cargo ships. The pier, built by the US Army, was originally supposed to be ready on May 1.
