Intensive negotiations for a cease-fire in Gaza are taking place in the foreground and in the background with the “background” of the decision of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which ordered Israel to stop operations in Rafah. At the same time, Lebanon’s front with Israel remains “hot”, and the risk of further escalation exists.

In early May, close talks between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, failed to reach an agreement on a ceasefire linked to the release of hostages and Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

Contact Biden – Sisi on humanitarian aid

At the same time, in a telephone conversation with the president of the USA joe biden, his Egyptian counterpart Fatah al-Sisi agreed to send aid to Gaza through Israel as it has closed the Rafah crossing.

Egypt’s president agreed by phone Friday with the US president to temporarily send humanitarian aid and fuel through Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing until legal mechanisms are in place to reopen the Rafah border crossing from the Palestinian side, the Egyptian presidency said. .

The announcement is a diplomatic victory for the Biden administration, which has been lobbying Egypt for the past few days to take this step.

The French president Emmanuel Macron welcomes the prime minister and foreign minister of Qatar, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan to review the “situation in the Middle East”, the Elysee announced.

They are the Qatari Mohammed bin Abdelrahman Al Thani, the Saudi Faisal bin Farhan, the Egyptian Sameh Shoukry and the Jordanian Ayman Safadi, the Elysee added, without further clarification.

According to the American website Axios, citing an unnamed American source, the head of the CIA and the head of the Israeli intelligence service Mossad they are also meeting in Paris with Qatar’s prime minister in an effort to revive talks on a Gaza ceasefire and a deal on hostages.

International Court of Justice: Order Israel to stop military operations in Rafah

The International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ) issued on Friday ordering Israel to stop military operations in Rafah; and to open the passage for aid to pass into the Gaza Strip.

At her request South Africa who called for emergency measures against Israel, the president of the Court Nawaf Salam announced the decision. The body’s president announced that the interim measures ordered by the Court in March did not fully address the situation in the besieged Palestinian enclave, and therefore the conditions for a new emergency order are met.

The Court is the Supreme Body of the UN for adjudicating disputes between states. The decisions are final and binding, but have been ignored in the past. The court has no enforcement powers.

The prosecutor general of the International Criminal Court – a separate court also based in The Hague – announced on Monday that an application had been filed for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallad, as well as Hamas leaders.

Anger in Israel over the decision

Tel Aviv is expected to reject the Court’s decision. Benjamin Netanyahu called a meeting on the matter.

Israel could accept the decision as is, accept it with conditions such as the release of hostages, demilitarization, etc., or reject the decision.

The hard-line Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich he explained that “those who demand that Israel stop the war, demand that it cease to exist.” “Israel will not agree to this,” he pointed out.

For his part, the also hardline Minister of Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir noted that Israel should ignore the decision of the international authority and continue the business.

Hamas: Implement the ruling of the International Court of Justice

The decision of the International Court of Justice hailed Hamas, asking member states of the UN Security Council to implement it.

Hamas welcomed the International Court of Justice plan to send a commission of inquiry into the events in Gaza; promising to cooperate

A Hamas official noted, however, that the decision on Rafah (south of the enclave) is not sufficient, asking for an end to Israel’s attack throughout Gaza.

Her representative Palestinian Authority for his part, he also welcomed the ICJ’s decision, telling Reuters that it represented an “international consensus” to end Israel’s war on Gaza.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nazrallah threatens Israel with ‘surprises’

At the same time, its head of the powerful organization Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah threatened “surprises” in Israel today after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had “surprising plans” to deal with the pro-Iranian, Lebanese group.

“We will talk about surprises. (Netanyahu) should expect (…) surprises from us,” Nasrallah said in a speech broadcast live on television.

Hezbollah launches daily attacks against Israel since the start of the war in Gaza, to support its ally, the Palestinian Hamas. The Israeli military responds with strikes in Lebanon, targeting members of Hezbollah. “We have killed hundreds of Hezbollah operatives,” Netanyahu claimed on Thursday. “We have detailed plans, significant, even unpredictable” for this front in northern Israel, he added.