A "massive" Israeli ground incursion into the Gaza Strip would be "a mistake", French President Emmanuel Macron said in Cairo Wednesday, warning it would harm civilians without ensuring Israel's long-term security. Macron spoke following a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi where he stressed that humanitarian aid must enter in Gaza without obstacles, adding that a French navy ship would arrive soon to help bring support to Gaza hospitals and that a plane will arrive in Egypt with key supplies. His visit to Egypt comes as a UN agency warned it could be forced to stop aid operations in Gaza due to dwindling fuel supplies in the Palestinian enclave. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
- French President Emmanuel Macron met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Wednesday, wrapping up a whistlestop tour that included visits to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan. Macron warned that a "massive" Israeli ground incursion into Gaza would be a "mistake" and called for humanitarian aid to enter the enclave without obstacles.
- Speaking at the White House, US President Joe Biden denied reports he had asked Israel to delay its ground invasion of Gaza. He also urged Israel to protect innocent civilians in Gaza and offered a rare rebuke of "extremist settlers" targeting Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank.
- Three people were killed and several others wounded in an Israeli attack near the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, Palestinian media reported Wednesday.
- Israeli fighter jets on Tuesday struck military infrastructure in Syria in response to fire directed at Israel, the IDF said Wednesday.
- Nearly 600,000 internally displaced Gazans are sheltering in 150 UN facilities in the enclave, according to the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA. Israeli operations have impacted at least 40 UNRWA installations, said the UN.
- Hamas has so far released four hostages. Israel has not freed Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostage releases, which was an initial Hamas pre-condition.
- The death toll in Gaza rose to 6,546, including 2,704 children, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said Wednesday. The Israeli military put the number of people taken hostage by Hamas on October 7 at 222. The official number of people killed in the Hamas attack has not been revised since Saturday; it remains at 1,400.
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Key developments of Tuesday, October 24:
French President Emmanuel Macron affirmed his support for Palestinian civil society during a visit to Ramallah in the West Bank, where he held talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Earlier Tuesday, Macron met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and assured the Israeli people of France's "solidarity" with Israel. He also called for "a decisive relaunch of the Palestinian peace process" and proposed extending the coalition against Islamic State (IS) group campaign to fight Hamas.
Eight humanitarian trucks entered the Gaza Strip from Egypt on Tuesday evening. It was the fourth humanitarian convoy to arrive in the Palestinian enclave since Saturday.
One of two elderly Israeli hostages released from Hamas captivity told reporters she was beaten as she was taken to Gaza on October 7, but was then treated well and given medical attention during her two-week captivity.
Hamas has so far released four hostages. Israel has not freed Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostage releases, which was an initial Hamas pre-condition.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
