“What other solutions are they considering?” he asked, referring to the Israelis. “To make all Palestinians leave? To kill…them?” He added that the current Israeli military operation, which resulted in the deaths of 25,000 people in the Gaza Strip, “sows hatred for generations.”
But as he spoke, Israel appeared to be intensifying its operations in the densely populated southern part of the Strip. Amid the heavy bombardment, families reported being forced to flee the southwestern areas, including the coastal area of Al-Mawasi, which Israel has designated as a safe area.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that it had completely lost contact with its teams in the city of Khan Yunis, in the south of the country, as a result of the Israeli “ground invasion.”
The Ministry of Health in Gaza said that Israeli forces stormed Al-Khair Hospital, west of Khan Yunis, and arrested medical staff. Ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra described the health situation in Gaza as “catastrophic and indescribable.” The Washington Post was unable to verify the report.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has said he is proud of his historic efforts to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, has repeatedly rejected the idea. He stressed on Sunday that the Palestinian state poses an “existential threat” to Israel, vowing to continue opposing it as long as he remains prime minister.
But the bloodshed in the October 7 Hamas attack and the devastating pace of civilian casualties in the Israeli war that followed have revived efforts toward a two-state solution. The idea of two states for two peoples has broad support in the international community, including the United States and the United Nations.
“I think we have to stop talking about the peace process and start talking more concretely about the two-state solution process,” Borrell said before the meetings in Brussels, where he will present a 12-point plan to revitalize the Middle East. The peace process.
The plan aims “to address the conflict and occupation that preceded the Gaza war, and if left unaddressed, is expected to lead to more wars,” according to a copy obtained by The Washington Post.
She added: “There is no comprehensive and reliable solution other than an independent Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in peace and security, with full normalization and fundamental development of security and economic cooperation between Israel, Palestine and the region.” It called for holding a “preparatory conference for peace” at the “earliest opportunity” to discuss a permanent solution.
The Middle Eastern countries represented in Brussels on Monday are also working on plans to end the conflict, with Saudi Arabia explicitly linking the normalization of relations with Israel to a credible path to Palestinian statehood.
Before the meetings in Brussels, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz uploaded photos of Israeli hostages in Gaza, saying he was in Brussels to discuss their return, as well as to rally support for Israel's efforts to dismantle Hamas.
The Times of Israel reported that he ignored questions about the possibility of a two-state solution.
Netanyahu on Sunday rejected what he said were conditions put forward by Hamas for the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza – including an end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Strip. He said that agreeing to these conditions and leaving Hamas in Gaza would be a “deadly blow to Israel’s security.”
“Only complete victory will ensure the elimination of Hamas and the return of all our hostages,” Netanyahu said in a statement, adding that he reiterated this position in a phone call with President Biden over the weekend.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said on Sunday, during a meeting with relatives of the hostages, that the operation in Khan Yunis “is taking place in full swing” and that “there are initial indications that we have reached the most sensitive Hamas sites.”
Imad Al-Samri, a 58-year-old resident who took refuge on the Al-Aqsa University campus in Al-Mawasi, described the evacuation process with his family on Monday morning when shells fell on the university building and its gate.
Al-Samri and his family, along with thousands of people displaced inside the university, fled towards a dangerous safe area between Khan Yunis and Rafah, and took refuge in the tents that were set up there.
He added: “This may be one of the most difficult nights.” “We barely escaped.”
During the first days of its attack on the Gaza Strip, the IDF asked residents to move south to Khan Yunis and Rafah in search of shelter. Khan Younis, once considered safe, is now witnessing some of the heaviest fighting, and Rafah is increasingly running out of resources as more and more displaced people arrive.
In another corner of Khan Yunis, Muhammad Al-Zari' (31 years old), who was staying with his brothers in a tent near the city center, spoke of the echoes of continuous strikes and bombings that echoed throughout the hours of the night and morning.
“We do not know where we will go if they advance further,” he said. “Thousands of displaced people arrived in the morning, and there is no place for them in this camp.” “The army ordered us to go to Al-Mawasi, and we are here, but this area is no longer safe.”
Maurice reported from Berlin, Ruhala from Brussels, and Balousha from Amman. Lior Soroka in Tel Aviv, Neha Masih in Seoul, and Annabelle Timsit in London contributed to this report.
