According to CNN, there is growing concern within the Biden administration that Israel is preparing for war in Lebanon in late spring or early summer if efforts to reach a political solution fail. It will soon be known when the attack on Rafah will start, according to Anna Barsky’s web page: “The plan for the military operation in Rafah should be discussed in the Political and Security Cabinet Council in these hours.”
Britain through the voice of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reported: “We seek a permanent ceasefire in Gaza starting with a humanitarian truce allowing the release of prisoners and the entry of aid.” “No one has an interest in a temporary ceasefire in Gaza and then going back to fighting and not releasing the hostages.” “The people of Gaza are suffering and we must do everything in our power to provide the aid they need.”
After Jordan and Egypt, Canada will also begin delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip by air next week, source CBC News. In Gaza, however, local journalistic sources say: “We hear fanfares but we don’t see flour.” Journalists deny any aid has arrived in the northern Gaza region, coinciding with Arab countries dropping air aid into the Strip for the first time since the war began.
After Hezbollah attacks from southern Lebanon, Israeli sources reveal significant damage to the settlement of Kiryat Shmona in the north of the country. Haaretz points out that since the beginning of the war, the Israeli army has mistakenly fired shells from its tanks at Israel 5 times. On February 28, Knesset Deputy Speaker Moshe Solomon fled to a shelter after Palestinian resistance fired rockets into Ashkelon, where he was present during an election tour.
According to the Israeli website Kol Hadashot: Reserve General Yitzhak Barrick: “The last five chiefs of staff have left the State of Israel unprepared for the next regional war. “They have reduced 6 teams in 30 years.” There is a lot of concern about the hostages still in the hands of Hamas, military analyst Ronen Bergman for the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper: “Israel” has lost all bargaining chips in the face of the steadfastness of Hamas and the Palestinian people.
On February 29, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan gave a speech in which he addressed Russia. He said Israel would provide Ukraine with missile early warning systems, but also called Ukraine an “ally.” He also equates Russia with Hamas and attacks Russia for organizing another Hamas visit to Moscow.
Hamas explained that at the moment: “The return of displaced people to the northern areas of Gaza is so far considered the obstacle to completing the agreement.” “We show flexibility in negotiations with Israel because we are concerned about the blood of our people.” “We want a clear clause in the agreement that emphasizes a global ceasefire after the first phase of calm.”
Attacks against the Houthis also continued on 28 and 29 February in the Hodeidah region. A military source for the Yemeni coast guard said in response: “The sea is almost free of enemy merchant ships. Despite their military capabilities and technology, the Yemeni army represents a real terror to their psyche. Any organization or country that attacks Yemen will never be able to guarantee the peaceful passage of its ships. We have prepared in advance for all possibilities and are ready to face the world, because our cause is humanitarian, moral and religious, and it is a right imposed on us by God. If European countries want to enjoy stability in the Red Sea, in the Arabian, in the Gulf of Aden and in Bab al-Mandab, they should not believe American stories about the militarization of the sea. The battle is our battle, the victory is ours and we will not give up until victory is achieved.”
Also from Yemen on 29 February Commander Abdul Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi spoke: “The steadfastness of the Mujahideen in Gaza, who inflict losses on the enemy and the cohesion in facing the enemy is a lesson and a lesson for all Muslims.” And again he said: “The steadfastness and effectiveness of Hezbollah since its inception and its effectiveness, and now on a very hot and fiery front in the face of the Israeli enemy, is a great example and a lesson for all the people of the nation.” For Abdul Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi: “There are important lessons on the effectiveness of those who, among the people of the nation, act seriously, as in the case of the Mujahideen brothers in Iraq who defeated the American enemy. The effectiveness, influence and strength of the Yemen Front, recognized by its enemies, are clear lessons for all Muslims.” And he again sent a warning to those who: “they still look at events as if they were simply events that happened and are ending. The inevitable results of the conflict are the disappointment of the enemies, the failure of the Jews and their inevitable defeat according to God’s promise. Jews have no right to control Palestine, Jerusalem or Al-Aqsa Mosque, no matter how criminal and oppressive they are. They are inevitably condemned to extinction, defeat and disappointment.”
The Houthi Commander closed his speech by stating that: “We are launching our movement against the oppression of the Palestinian people and the tragedy of Gaza from the point of view of faith. We begin our movement with Palestine from an awareness of the nature of the conflict and an understanding of the enemy and the fact that we are part of this battle. Our operations from the beginning until today are effective, influential and continuous operations. Our operations in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza amounted to targeting 54 ships, and that is a very important and large number. Thank Almighty God, the goal of preventing the movement of the Israeli enemy from Bab al-Mandab to the Red Sea has been achieved.” According to the Hiouti commander: “The total number of missiles and drones has reached 384 in the operations with which we target the enemies.” The Houthi threat is to continue attacks until: “The correct position that contributes to the stability of the entire region is to stop the aggression and end the siege of Gaza.”
Commander Abdul Malik Badr al-Din commented on the German incident which fired at an American drone and almost hit a merchant ship, commenting that this confusion was generated by the European desire to militarize the Red Sea: “What could threaten the navigation it is the Americans who are dragging them to militarize the Red Sea, creating chaos there and transforming it into a field of conflict and an arena of war. Our positions are clear and our operations will continue with high effectiveness in the direction of the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Strait of Bab al-Mandab”
And now a look at the conflict between Israel and Hamas updated at 4.30pm on February 29th.
The IDF struck Hezbollah’s headquarters on the outskirts of Beit Lev in southern Lebanon. Launching stations and a military site where Hamas men operated were also hit. “This morning, numerous launches were identified crossing Lebanon towards Adamit and Shlomi, in northern Israel. The IDF hit the source of the fire.” It is read in a note.
The Israeli army struck on the 28th and 29th in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City, killing and wounding. The IDF speaks of two deaths from the Givati Brigade in the clashes in the Zaytun neighborhood, one of them was a company commander and the other a platoon commander.
Several casualties occurred in Israel’s bombing of the “Al-Nour and Al-Huda” mosque in the town of Al-Fokhari, east of Khan Yunis. Khan Yunis was also the scene of clashes on February 29th.
Currently, the key issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been the Israeli Defense Forces’ resounding attack on a stretch of the Ar-Rashid Highway in southwest Gaza. According to Palestinian media, a series of shots hit a crowd of civilians who were waiting for the arrival of trucks with humanitarian aid.
Currently, information on the number of deaths and injuries varies. While some write about 40 dead, others about 150. The number of injured even reaches a thousand civilians. Some video scenes accompanied by captions speak of an Israeli attack on 17th Street and the Nabulsi roundabout area, west of Gaza city, where Israel targeted Palestinians on their way to receive humanitarian aid, resulting in the deaths of dozens and the wounding of hundreds.
The IDF version is: “Early this morning, as humanitarian aid trucks entered the northern Gaza Strip, Gaza residents surrounded the trucks and looted the supplies being delivered. During the incident, dozens of Gazans were injured. The incident is under review.”
The news is not consistent either in terms of data or geolocation of events. Further clarifications are required.
In the West Bank, local sources speak of clashes between residents and settler militias in Burin, south of Nablus.
On February 29, the Israeli Air Force carried out airstrikes on the outskirts of Damascus.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
