Israel plans the future of Gaza. “The Palestinians will govern the Strip, not the Israelis,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared to reporters before a divided war cabinet, preceded by press previews of his plan for the post-Hamas, while growing tension tension and fears that the conflict, which continues to claim victims in Gaza, will spread to the rest of the region.
After the targeted raids in Lebanon to kill the number two of the Palestinian faction Saleh al Arouri and in Syria at the end of December against Seyed Razi Mousavi, an important member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, this time a drone attack was conducted, probably by the USA, in Iraq where two members of the coalition of pro-Iranian armed groups Hashd al Shaabi were eliminated and seven others were injured. In this context – and while ISIS reappears on the scene claiming responsibility for the double suicide bombing with dozens of victims on the tomb of General Qasem Soleimani in Iran – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken returns to the region, for the fourth time since 7 October, with stops in five Arab countries (Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates), Israel, the West Bank, but also Turkey and Greece.
According to his spokesperson, he will insist on “immediately” increasing humanitarian aid to the Strip, but he is also expected to reiterate to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States will oppose any hypothesis of forced transfer of Palestinians from Gaza to third countries to make room to new colonies, evoked by his far-right ministers Ben Gvir and Smotrich. The hypothesis also worries Western chancelleries and the UN, while the “Gallant plan” leaks out. According to the Israeli Kan TV, the project involves “four actors”: the Israeli army with military but not government tasks, the Egypt as the gateway for goods, a US-led international task force for reconstruction and local Palestinian committees for the needs of the population. Meanwhile in Iraq the al-Nujaba movement, one of the pro-Iranian and fiercely anti-US factions, he denounced that «the deputy commander of operations for Baghdad, Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi, fell as a martyr in an American attack».
Here's what happened on Thursday January 4th
To know more
HISTORY – Gaza and the Palestinians condemned to exile
THE ANALYSIS – The feud within Hamas puts its leaders at risk
THE REPORTAGE – Israel, Captain H speaks: “We are looking for hostages amidst ambushes and rockets overhead”
#War #Middle #East #Gallant #plan #Gaza #Palestinians #govern #Blinken39s #mission
