The US is working to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza through various routes, including the sea lane from Larnaca, according to US Ambassador to Cyprus, Julie Fisher. The construction of a floating platform for aid delivery is in its final stages, and efforts are being made to ensure that aid reaches Gaza as soon as possible.
Israeli forces are closing in on Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, where thousands of Hamas fighters are holed up. More than a million people are sheltering in the city, prompting warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel seized the main border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, cutting off aid. Residents have been ordered to leave as an assault is anticipated. Tens of thousands have fled the city, turning neighborhoods into ghost towns.
Pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Amsterdam built barricades using desks and railings to block the entrance until the institution severs all ties with Israel. Riot police knocked down barricades at another UvA site and detained 169 people. The protesters are part of a wave of sit-ins and actions at universities in Europe against Israel’s war in Gaza. The university has exchange programs with three universities in Israel halted due to security concerns and cooperates with Israeli scientists or companies in eight European research projects. Ireland’s Trinity College Dublin announced it would divest from Israeli companies linked to settlements in occupied Palestinian territory following student protests.
A US-built floating pier in Gaza will be completed soon to help with humanitarian aid shipments from Cyprus. The pier will make it easier to unload aid from ships and transfer it directly to trucks for distribution on land. The route between Cyprus and Gaza is important for delivering international aid.
– West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil was up slightly and hovering around .50 a barrel in Asian trading on Tuesday following Israel’s strike on Rafah in Gaza.
– Israeli forces targeted Rafah on Gaza’s southern edge through air and ground attacks, leading to concerns about potential disruptions in crude supplies from the region.
– Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposal from mediators, but Israel rejected the terms.
– Analyst forecasts suggested that crude oil and product stockpiles in the United States were anticipated to have declined last week.
– US President Joe Biden’s energy adviser stated that the US has ample oil supply in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to address any supply-related worries.
– The SPR remains close to 40-year lows despite the largest-ever sale of 180 million barrels following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
– The Biden administration has halted the repurchase of oil for the reserve due to crude trading above the targeted price of .00 per barrel.
Hezbollah said on Monday it carried out a drone attack on an Israeli military position near the northern Israeli town of Metula. The Israeli military later confirmed two soldiers were killed in the attack. Iran-backed Hezbollah also said it had sent dozens of rockets towards military targets across the border with Israel. Israel and Hezbollah, … Read more
Jordan’s King Abdullah warned U.S. President Joe Biden that an Israeli offensive in Rafah could lead to a new massacre of Palestinian civilians and urged urgent international action. Israel carried out airstrikes in Rafah, prompting concerns about a regional conflict. Biden pressed Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu not to proceed with a large-scale military offensive in Rafah without a plan to protect civilians. The leaders discussed the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas. Jordan and other Arab states have been critical of Israel’s actions and have been calling for a ceasefire.
Israel conducted airstrikes in Rafah after instructing Palestinians to evacuate parts of the city where over a million war-displaced people are sheltering. Ceasefire talks in Cairo are stalling, and Hamas warns that any Israeli operation in Rafah could jeopardize the truce negotiations. The evacuation order has sparked fears of a full-blown assault, with Hamas declaring readiness to defend Palestinians in Rafah. The UN and aid agencies have expressed concern over the humanitarian consequences of the evacuation. Israel has been threatening to launch incursions in Rafah, citing the presence of Hamas fighters and hostages. The US has urged Israel to pursue a hostage deal to avoid a military operation in Rafah.
Israel’s armed forces are evacuating Palestinian civilians from Rafah in preparation for a potential assault on the southern Gazan city. Evacuations are focused on peripheral districts of Rafah, with evacuees being directed to tent cities in nearby Khan Younis and Al Muwassi. The Israeli military has called on Palestinians in eastern parts of Rafah to move to a nearby “humanitarian area” in what appears to be the beginning of a civilian evacuation before a ground assault. Israel claims that victory against Hamas is impossible without taking the city, which is said to harbor thousands of fighters. This operation has raised concerns among Western powers and neighboring Egypt due to the high number of displaced Palestinians in Rafah.
Los Angeles police cleared a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Southern California without making arrests on Sunday following turmoil at universities across the United States over the Israel-Hamas war. USC President Carol Folt requested police intervention as the occupation was spiraling in a dangerous direction. The camp was cleared peacefully in 64 minutes. At UCLA, Chancellor Gene Block announced the creation of a new Office of Campus Safety after clashes between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Senator Bernie Sanders compared campus protests to those against the Vietnam War. A student at the University of Mississippi was expelled for making racist gestures towards a Black female protester. At the University of Texas in Austin, pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied peacefully, calling for universities to divest from Israel and push for a ceasefire in Gaza.