Middle East Crisis Gaza War

Israel intends to attack Dayr al-Balah with “intensity”

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have issued an immediate evacuation order for the southwestern parts of the city of Dayr al-Balah in central Gaza. The AP reports.

Residents, including those living in tents, are being urged to head to Muwasi further south. The IDF says it will strike with “intensity” against militants in the area.

According to the AP, the area in question is one of the few that the IDF has barely carried out ground operations against. The area also houses several international aid organizations, which have not yet commented on the decision.

The order cuts off the road between the cities of Dayr al-Balah and the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Yunis.

Source: End of War Now an Issue for Peace Talks

For the first time during the ongoing round of negotiations in Doha between Israel and Hamas, a possible end to the war in Gaza is being discussed – not just a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of ten hostages. This is what an Israeli source with insight into the talks told Haaretz.

A new framework is now being built for a 60-day ceasefire, where the goal is to negotiate a comprehensive agreement on the end of the war, the future status of Gaza and the return of all hostages.

Expert: Palestinian state opens up for gas extraction

Recognition of a Palestinian state would make it clear that the Palestinian Authority (PA) has the right to extract natural gas in the sea off the Gaza Strip. This is what Michael Barron, an expert on Palestine's untapped gas resources and currently working on a new book on the subject, told TheGuardian.

In international terms, the Gaza Marine gas field would not involve huge sums of money, but it would give the Palestinians a steady, long-term source of their own income, which would reduce their dependence on international aid, according to Barron. It would also mean energy independence from the occupying power, Israel.

Palestine has claimed the sea area since it joined the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in 2015, but Israel has blocked the project. Israel has claimed the areas as “no-man’s waters” and fears that revenues will end up in Gaza’s Hamas government.

The bloodbath at the aid drive continues: Reports that at least 73 were killed today

At least 73 Palestinians have been killed while waiting for emergency aid at various locations in the Gaza Strip on Sunday. The AP writes, citing figures from hospitals and Gaza's Hamas-controlled health authority. At least 150 people have been injured, many life-threatening.

The deadliest has been in northern Gaza, where 67 people were killed while trying to access emergency aid at the Zikim crossing on the border with Israel.

The AP writes that it is not yet clear whether Israeli soldiers or armed gangs - or both - are responsible for today's many deaths. However, there are testimonies that the Israeli military has fired into crowds. The Israeli military has not commented on the information.

Yesterday, Israeli forces were accused of shooting dead 32 people near an aid distribution site. The heavily criticized Israeli-American group Gaza Humanitarian Foundations (GHF) that is responsible for the distribution has dismissed the reports, claiming that the Israeli shooting took place far from the aid site and hours before it was due to open.