According to CNN, there is growing concern within the Biden administration that they will not be able to stop the Houthi attacks in Yemen, and it is even evident that they are expanding their arsenal of weapons with the help of Iran. One of the problems in the United States is the heavy economic costs associated with the long-term use of missiles costing millions of dollars against the Houthis’ cheap munitions. The US military has reported an 18-mile-long oil spill caused by this week’s Houthi attack on the British ship Rubymar.
The head of Denmark’s Jewish community said that since the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the country has seen a wave of anti-Semitic incidents, reaching levels not seen since World War II.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that an Israeli attack on Rafah would deal a fatal blow to aid programs in Gaza, as humanitarian aid remains “wholly insufficient”.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said on Sunday (25 February) that Israel had responded disproportionately to the attack by Hamas militants and was using hunger as a weapon in the Gaza Strip. “We are already in the middle of a catastrophe – he said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El País – The UN has been forced to suspend humanitarian aid: Israel uses hunger as a weapon, and this is against international law. ” “Gaza was razed to the ground: the use of force was disproportionate,” concluded the diplomat. According to him, “Hamas is an idea, and an idea can only be fought with another idea.”
Amnesty International in a note states that: “Israel” contests the ruling of the International Court of Justice to prevent the genocide by hindering the arrival of aid to Gaza. “Israel” has failed to take the minimum temporary measures to protect Palestinians. “Israel” has failed to ensure the provision of sufficient aid to the population exposed to genocide and famine in Gaza.
Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad al-Shaitey has announced the resignation of his government. While the Fatwa Council in Palestine complained that Israel is lighting the fuse of religious war: it condemned Israeli forces who have “erected a tower on the western wall of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and placed surveillance cameras there.”
The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine has condemned the meeting held by the Saudi Trade Minister, Majed Al-Qasabi, with the Israeli Minister of Trade and Industry, Nir Barkat, in the United Arab Emirates.
Egyptian security sources have revealed that Qatar will host talks between Hamas and Israel this week with the aim of reaching a truce agreement. The first meeting took place on February 26, the head of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, said: “Hamas responded to the efforts of the mediating brothers, accepted the course of negotiations to stop the aggression and shown great seriousness and flexibility, but believes that the occupation is at a standstill, which Hamas will not accept in any way, and there will be no time available for this.
Al Jazeera reported that 200 new fighters have joined the Ansarullah movement in Yemen, bringing the total number of the Houthi army to around 500,000 people. For many weeks the Houthis have been asking Saudi Arabia for access to reach Israel. Ryad denied the passage. On Saturday and Sunday, Yemen reports American attacks in Sanaa. The same scene was repeated on February 26 in Hodeidah: “American-British aggression targeted the Ras Issa area in the Al-Salif district with 3 raids”. Two others were recorded after 4pm Italian time.
The international telecommunications company “Secom” announces a flaw in its infrastructure in the Red Sea, which has compromised its cable system and the flow of information between Africa and Europe, without explaining the cause of the flaw.
The IDF reported the death of another soldier in the Gaza Strip. The number of recognized irrecoverable losses increased to 578 people. Israeli soldiers crush food with a tank for fun, mocking famine in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Police Department launched an investigation after a video emerged of a police officer beating a protester in Kaplan.
Situation between Israel and Hamas updated at 4.30pm on January 26.
Missile launches from southern Lebanon towards northern Israel are intensifying, as is the bombing from Israel into southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah managed to launch an ATGM into the window of the headquarters of the Israeli Army’s 769th Infantry Brigade in the Kiryat Shmona area of northern Israel, causing casualties.
The Israeli army struck two targets in Baalbek for the first time since 2006. The attacks killed at least two people. Lebanese security officials said the Israeli Air Force carried out three airstrikes on the outskirts of Budai village near Baalbek, targeting a convoy of trucks. A Hezbollah spokesperson confirmed that three attacks took place near Baalbek. The whistleblower spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists.
Israeli bombings resumed on Monday evening on several cities in southern Lebanon, reported by Alma Center on its Israel_Alma_org channel: “Yesterday (February 25), Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 6 attacks against Israel, which were carried out using high-trajectory fire (including Burkhan and Falaq-1 rockets) and anti-tank missiles. Several communities were attacked: Kiryat Shmona, Manara and Malkia.”
“Since this morning (February 26) Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for 5 attacks against Israel, including anti-tank fire against the community of Shtula, where one person was injured. This morning (February 26) Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the shooting down of an Israeli Hermes 450 type drone with a surface-to-air missile over the Iqlim Al-Tuffah area”.
In response to the launch of a surface-to-air missile against an IDF Hermes-450 UAV, IDF fighter jets struck sites used by Hezbollah’s Air Defense Array in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley.
In northern Gaza, the humanitarian catastrophe is more talked about than the sporadic clashes in some residual areas. Fierce fighting continues in areas from which Israeli troops had previously withdrawn. Palestinian units are carrying out sorties in the coastal area, but their effectiveness is still questionable. The Al-Quds Brigades: “our mujahideen bombed a group of Zionist enemy soldiers and vehicles south of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City with a barrage of mortar shells.” At the same time, Israeli units became more active in the Al-Zaitoun area, from which some civilians had previously been evacuated.
In the central part of the enclave, the Israelis continue their bombing of settlements outside the control of the IDF. Residential buildings in Deir al-Balah and Az-Zawayda were under concentrated fire: several dozen people were killed.
In southern Gaza, however, there are clashes between the Palestinian resistance and Israel in Khan Yunis. In the afternoon, Israel bombed residential buildings in Khan Yunis.
At the moment, the Israelis are carrying out massive airstrikes and raids towards the Salah al-Din highway. In Khan Yunis, Israeli troops are fighting tough battles near Al-Amal hospital. At the same time, the IDF called for the immediate evacuation of the nearby Harun al-Rashid school, where hundreds of refugees are taking refuge.
At the same time, the Israeli operation, which lasted the last week, at the Nasser hospital ended. The Israeli command reported the arrest of 200 people and the confiscation of weapons on the territory of the medical complex.
To the southeast, Israeli troops are fighting in the central areas of the city of Abasan al-Kabira. The Israelis are supported by artillery fire and planes hitting uncontrolled areas.
Rafah continues to be under massive fire, while hospitals located there are already overcrowded. Meanwhile, at the border, the Egyptians have erected another concrete wall to hold refugees in case of an IDF offensive.
The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon claims to have hit the headquarters of the Israeli Golan division in Nafah with 60 Katyusha rockets.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
