The head of the UN called, Sunday March 24 in Cairo, "Israel to remove the last obstacles to aid" for the Gaza Strip, threatened with famine, once again urging Israel and Palestinian Hamas to "cease -immediate fire".

“When you look at Gaza, it almost looks like the four horsemen of the Apocalypse are galloping above, spreading war, famine, conquest and death,” Antonio Guterres said at a joint press conference with the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sameh Choukri. “The whole world believes that it is high time to silence the guns and put in place an immediate ceasefire.”

Earlier on Sunday, he met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, accompanied by the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini.

Five and a half months of devastating war have plunged the Gaza Strip into a catastrophic humanitarian situation.

The war broke out on October 7 after an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israeli soil that resulted in the deaths of at least 1,160 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli sources. . According to them, around 250 people were kidnapped and 130 of them are still hostages in Gaza, 33 of whom are believed to have died.

In retaliation, Israel vowed to annihilate Hamas in power in Gaza since 2007. Its army launched an offensive which left 32,226 dead in Gaza, according to the latest report from the Islamist movement's Ministry of Health.

Antonio Guterres had already denounced on Saturday in Egypt the "pain" of the Gazans, prisoners of an "endless nightmare", during a trip to the crossing point with the town of Rafah, located in the south of the Palestinian territory. .

Israel has imposed a complete siege on Gaza since October 9 and strictly controls aid that arrives mainly from Egypt via Rafah. These controls reduce, according to the UN, the number of trucks entering the Palestinian territory.

“On one side of the border, we see humanitarian trucks as far as the eye can see, on the other a humanitarian catastrophe which is getting worse every day,” noted Antonio Guterres. The UN chief also highlighted Egypt's "vital political and humanitarian role with Al-Arich airport and the Rafah crossing point, essential arteries for the entry of vital aid into Gaza ".

Negotiators leave Doha

For their part, the heads of the American and Israeli intelligence services left Doha after a new round of talks on a truce in the Gaza Strip, a source familiar with the discussions told AFP on Sunday.

The head of the CIA, Bill Burns, and that of the Mossad, David Barnea, left the Qatari capital at the end of the day on Saturday "to inform their respective teams in their countries of this round" of negotiations, said this source under cover of 'anonymity. These talks "focused on details and a ratio for the exchange of hostages and prisoners", she added, specifying that the "technical teams remained in Doha".

The mediating countries – the United States, Qatar and Egypt – have been engaged for weeks in talks on a truce and an agreement to release hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Israel announced Thursday that the head of Mossad would travel to Doha on Friday to meet with the head of the CIA, as well as the Qatari Prime Minister and the head of the Egyptian intelligence services. It was his second visit in a week, after talks resumed following the failure of efforts to secure a truce ahead of the fasting month of Ramadan.

Gaza Strip hospitals targeted, Palestinian Red Crescent says

On Sunday, Israeli forces, leading an offensive near Gaza's main hospital, Al-Chifa, besieged two other hospitals in the Palestinian enclave, Al-Amal and Nasser, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, indicating that medical teams were pinned down under heavy fire. Israel says hospitals in the Gaza Strip have often been used as strongholds by Hamas militants, something the Palestinian movement and medical staff deny.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said one of its staff members was killed when Israeli tanks withdrew into areas surrounding Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals in the southern town of Khan Yunis. enclave.

Israeli forces sealed off Al-Amal Hospital and carried out extensive earthmoving operations in its surroundings, the Red Crescent said in a statement. “All of our teams are in extreme danger right now and are completely immobilized,” he added.

The Red Crescent indicates that the Israeli army demanded the complete evacuation of staff, patients and displaced civilians present at Al-Amal hospital.

Residents of Khan Younes reported an advance of Israeli tanks in a western district of the city, near the Nasser hospital.

For its part, the Israeli army indicated that its forces were hitting “infrastructure” in Khan Younes serving as gathering points for militants.

Further north, in Gaza City, Israel claims to have captured 480 militants during fighting around Al-Chifa hospital. The latter is today one of the few health establishments still partially operational in the north of the territory.

With AFP and Reuters

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