rafah

Netanyahu says Israel will push on with Gaza offensive, including in Rafah

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Netanyahu says Israel will push on with Gaza offensive, including in Rafah

Israel, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will continue its offensive against Hamas, targeting the southern Gaza city of Rafah despite international calls for cessation. This decision follows a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and 253 abductions as per Israeli reports. The ongoing conflict has led to over 30,000 deaths in Gaza, according to Palestinian health authorities. Netanyahu emphasized the importance of unity in the face of increasing international pressure to end the conflict. He also stated that Israel aims to counteract efforts to blame it for Hamas’ actions and plans to operate throughout Gaza, including Rafah, described as the last Hamas stronghold.

Gaza truce talks expected as offensive and aid crisis rage on

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Gaza truce talks expected as offensive and aid crisis rage on

Mediators are expected to reconvene in Cairo to find a ceasefire formula acceptable to Israel and Hamas for Gaza. Foreign governments have conducted airdrops to aid civilians in Gaza. Israeli and Hamas delegations are expected in Cairo, but Israel wants a list of alive hostages before sending a delegation. A framework for a six-week pause in fighting, agreed upon by Israel, now depends on Hamas releasing hostages. The U.S. has called for more aid into Gaza, which Israel denies restricting. The U.S. military airdropped 38,000 meals over Gaza. Israel disputes the death toll from a food convoy catastrophe, attributing most deaths to being trampled or run over. Since October 7, when Hamas attacked, killing 1,200 and abducting 253, over 30,000 have been killed in Gaza, and tens of thousands injured. Fighting continued around Khan Younis and Rafah, with significant casualties reported. Hamas insists a temporary truce must lead to ending the war, with assurances given for negotiating a permanent ceasefire in later phases.

Gaza residents fear possible truce would only pause, not stop, the war

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Gaza residents fear possible truce would only pause, not stop, the war

Homeless and hungry Palestinians in Gaza are desperate for a lasting ceasefire amid fears of an Israeli assault on their safe haven. The United States mentioned that a temporary truce could be agreed upon soon, with a proposed deal potentially stopping the fighting since a brief truce in November. Negotiators are discussing a six-week truce, but Hamas has expressed that significant differences remain, demanding a permanent end to the fighting. Nearly five months into Israel’s air and ground campaign, about 85% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have fled their homes, with most houses damaged or destroyed, leading to famine and widespread disease. The war began with a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages. Israel’s campaign in response has killed approximately 30,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave. Conditions for the proposed truce include only a short pause in fighting, with no provisions for displaced residents, especially men of military age, to return to their homes in the north. Despite these limitations, many in Gaza welcome any cessation of hostilities, even if temporary.

Hamas studies Paris truce proposal involving 40-day pause and hostage exchange, source says

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Hamas studies Paris truce proposal involving 40-day pause and hostage exchange, source says

A draft proposal from Gaza truce talks in Paris includes a 40-day pause in all military operations and an exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages at a ratio of 10 to one. The ceasefire would allow for the repair of hospitals and bakeries in Gaza, the entry of 500 aid trucks into the strip each day, and the delivery of thousands of tents and caravans to house displaced individuals. Under the draft, Hamas would release 40 Israeli hostages, including women, children under 19, elderly over 50, and the sick, while Israel would release around 400 Palestinian prisoners and not re-arrest them. The Gaza truce talks aim to halt fighting in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli and foreign hostages. Mediators are working to secure a ceasefire to prevent an Israeli assault on Rafah, where over a million displaced people are sheltering. U.S. President Joe Biden stated that Israel agreed not to engage in military activities in Gaza during Ramadan, from the evening of March 10th to April 9th, 2024, and to allow Palestinians to evacuate from Rafah before intensifying its campaign to destroy Hamas. After Hamas killed 1,200 people and captured 253 hostages on October 7, Israel launched a ground assault on Gaza, resulting in nearly 30,000 deaths, according to Gaza health authorities.

WHO plans more evacuations from Gaza hospital as bodies buried on grounds

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WHO plans more evacuations from Gaza hospital as bodies buried on grounds

Aid agencies, led by the World Health Organization (WHO), aim to evacuate approximately 140 patients from Gaza’s Nasser hospital. The hospital, located in Khan Younis and essential to Gaza’s health services, ceased operations last week due to an Israeli siege and subsequent raid. The WHO has managed three evacuations, transferring 51 patients to hospitals in southern Gaza. Despite Israeli forces withdrawing from and then re-entering the hospital, efforts to evacuate critically ill and wounded patients continue. The hospital has faced severe challenges, including a lack of power, oxygen, food, drinking water, and medical supplies, and flooding with sewage water. Currently, only 13 of Gaza’s 34 hospitals are partially functioning, amidst a humanitarian crisis affecting the region’s 2.3 million residents.

About the Kurdish journalists

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About the Kurdish journalists

The fact described in the text is that more journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 7, and that Israel does not distinguish between combatants or civilians, journalists or terrorists, adults or minors. Additionally, the text mentions that hundreds of journalists are imprisoned in Turkey, with six Kurdish journalists being arrested recently.

Israeli offensive on Rafah would be a humanitarian catastrophe, says Germany

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Israeli offensive on Rafah would be a humanitarian catastrophe, says Germany

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned that an Israeli offensive on the Gaza city of Rafah, where 1.3 million people have sought refuge, would result in a humanitarian catastrophe. She also stated that Germany is urging the European Union to consider sanctions against extremist settlers who attack Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.