He Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuvisited Rafah in southern Gaza this Thursday with for the first time since the beginning of the offensive on the city on May 6has become a key battleground in a war that has lasted more than nine months and killed nearly 39,000 Palestinians and some 326 Israeli soldiers.

Sitting in front of the troops fighting in a city bordering Egypt, Netanyahu assured that “his military pressure on Hamas is helping to negotiate an agreement on the kidnapped people”With talks underway in Cairo and Doha on a ceasefire that would allow the return of 120 Israeli hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, of whom the army says 42 are dead.

In particular, Cairo is the core of talks over the management of the Philadelphi Corridor – the strip along Rafah separating Egypt from Gaza – since one of Netanyahu’s red lines is to prevent weapons from entering Gaza from its southern neighbor.

The Prime Minister told the soldiers:

This strengthened my position that their actions here, on the ground and underground, are necessary for Israel’s security, and that our possession and control of the Philadelphi Axis and the Rafah crossing are necessary for the continuation of the war.

When Netanyahu left Gaza, Three former Hamas hostages were preparing to sue The prime minister will sign a ceasefire agreement at an event in Tel Aviv that is criticizing the president’s visit to the United States next week.

Hamas hostages demand ceasefire

“Now is not the time to make a show trip, now is the time to make a deal and return all the hostages.”Danielle Aloni, who was kidnapped on October 7 along with her daughter, said it happened in the so-called “Hostages’ Square” in the capital.

Raz Ben Ami, another kidnapped woman whose husband Ohad remains in captivity, directly appealed to those responsible for the country’s security to demonstrate that they will protect the hostages: ““Don’t be defenders of Bibi – the prime minister’s nickname -,” he said, suggesting they distance themselves from Netanyahu’s decisions.

“If the deal doesn’t go through this time, does that mean I should start forgetting about him?” Ben Ami said, referring to her husband, adding:

I ask you, I demand: first consent, and then flight.

Under the motto “First sign the agreement, then give the speech.”Those present at the event and the hostages demanded that the Israeli leader advance the ceasefire agreement before his visit to the United States, where he will address Congress and is expected to meet with President Joe Biden.

On the other side, Biden’s Middle East adviser Brett McGurk will travel to Israel this Thursday. to consult again about the war, local media reported.

At the same time, an anti-government march took place near the border with the Gaza Strip calling for the creation of a state commission that investigate “negligence that led to the October 7 attack”as well as the release of hostages.

Also in Jerusalem, hundreds of protesters came to Netanyahu’s residence on Gaza Street to demand a ceasefire and early elections.

Water – a weapon of war in the Gaza Strip

NPO “Oxfan Intermon” On Thursday, he condemned Israel’s use of water as a weapon of war in the Gaza Strip.blaming him for a 94% cut in water supplies in the Palestinian territory, which fell to 4.74 litres per person per day, less than a third of the minimum recommended in an emergency.

The enclave that Since October 7, about 39,000 people have died and 90,000 have been injuredRussia is experiencing a serious humanitarian crisis, also marked by the spread of diseases.

This situation leads to an “extreme shortage of clean water” which has already resulted in more than a quarter (26%) of Gaza’s population suffering from health problems such as acute diarrhea, hepatitis A and other infectionswhich is something that Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has been confirming throughout these months.

Today, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported the discovery of polio in wastewater samples in the Gaza Strip.

EFE