Things to remember from Sunday, February 4

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday vowed that the Jewish state's military had destroyed “17 of the 24 battalions” of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military continued its offensive in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, February 4, almost four months after its operations in the Palestinian Territory began, in response to Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7. On Sunday, the IDF again bombed Khan Younes, where Israel says the leaders of the Islamist movement in power in Gaza are hiding.

According to an AFP journalist, the airstrikes also targeted Rafah, a few kilometers to the south. The city is now home to more than 1.3 million displaced people who have fled fighting and bombings in other parts of the Gaza Strip, the UN says.

At least 127 people were killed in the Palestinian territories in the past 24 hours, according to the Hamas Health Ministry. The Israeli army announced the death of a soldier on Sunday, bringing its military casualties to 225.

According to Israel, “17 out of 24 battalions” of Hamas were destroyed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday that the Jewish state's military had destroyed it “17 out of 24 battalions” Hamas in the Gaza Strip. “Most of the rest are in southern Gaza Strip and Rafah, we will take care of them”The head of the Israeli government added. “The pressure on Hamas is working. (…) They are in a difficult situation and we are hitting them hard”, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ruled. A few days earlier, the latter announced that the town of Rafah on the Palestinian border would be the next military objective.

The IDF claims to have invested a key Hamas compound

On Sunday, the Israeli military announced it had seized a compound used by Hamas to prepare for the October 7 attacks in Israel. These were done More than 1,160 people died, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. “Al-Qatsia' Compound Served as Training Center for Hamas Terrorists”The army said in a statement detailing specific models of kibbutz entrances, military bases and Israeli armored vehicles.

Soldiers also entered the office of Mohammed Sinwar, one of the commanders of the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' armed wing. He is the brother of Yahya Shinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza and is believed to be the mastermind of the October 7 attacks.

A new diplomatic mission for Antony Blingen

On the diplomatic front, negotiations to reach a second cease-fire are continuing for more than a week at the end of November. It allowed the release of about a hundred hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians held by Israel.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, a key supporter of Israel, is due to leave Washington on Sunday for the Middle East to support the talks. The US diplomat is to visit Qatar, Egypt, Israel, the occupied West Bank and Saudi Arabia.

Stéphane Séjourné travels to Cairo

Stéphane Séjourné, the new head of French diplomacy, is on a regional tour of the same talks. He met Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Egyptian President Abel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo (Egypt) on Sunday.

France works “We support a ceasefire, but we must also prepare for the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza with a renewed administration.”, he announced on the sidelines of a meeting with Sameh Shogri. Paris “denied” And everything “Forced Displacement” Stephane Sejournay underlined that the Gazans were blocked at Rafah towards Egypt.

The Houthis vow to retaliate against the Washington and London strikes

On Sunday, Houthi rebels vowed to retaliate against US-British strikes in areas they control in Yemen. LAir forces of the United States and the United Kingdom took the target on Saturday “36 Houthis targeted in 13 locations in Yemen”. The attacks are in response to attacks by pro-Iranian rebels on merchant ships in the Red Sea. Despite intensified US operations, the Houthis continued their attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which they said targeted ships linked to Israel. “in unity” With the Palestinians in Gaza.