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Israeli forces have taken control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, which borders Egypt in southern Gaza, the Israeli military has confirmed.
In a statement, the Israeli military wrote: “Overnight, ground troops began a precise counterterrorism operation based on [military and security] intelligence to eliminate Hamas terrorists ... within specific areas of eastern Rafah.”
US president Joe Biden has warned Israel against launching an offensive in Rafah as humanitarian organisations, led by the United Nations, warned that such an attack would lead to a “bloodbath”.
More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war that started after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people. Roughly 1.4 million civilians are currently displaced in Rafah, having fled to the region to avoid Israel’s war throughout the rest of the enclave, much of which has since been razed to the ground.
It comes as Hamas announced it had accepted a ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators Egypt and Qatar. A ceasefire would end seven months of war in Gaza but a deal is uncertain after Israel responded by saying the proposal did not meet its “core demands”.
Dismay as Israel prepares for Rafah invasion despite Hamas ceasefire offer
Israel has defied international concern and ordered the partial evacuation of Rafah – the last refuge in Gaza, where 1.4 million desperate civilians are braced for an impending ground assault the United Nations warned could lead to “bloodbath”.
Western leaders expressed dismay that Israel might press ahead with an invasion of the tiny area despite a last-ditch bid by Hamas to secure a temporary ceasefire.
Tom Watling7 May 2024 10:11
Rocket sirens reported at southern Gaza crossing
Sirens have sounded at the Kerem Shalom Crossing in southern Gaza, the Israeli military have reported.
Tom Watling7 May 2024 09:48
Read between the lines for Biden’s changing position on Israel, US official says
Netanyahu is determined to attack Rafah, despite US warnings. Andrew Feinberg speaks to Israeli and American officials about what the consequences might be
Tom Watling7 May 2024 09:30
Palestinians flee Rafah following Israeli evacuation notice
Images have shown Palestinians fleeing Rafah following the Israeli orders to evacuate the area ahead of a ground offensive.
Israeli tanks were seen rolling into the eastern side of the Rafah crossing this morning, before running down signs welcoming visitors to Gaza. Strikes in the area on Tuesday have reportedly killed 20 people already, according to the Palestinian news agecy Wafa.
Tom Watling7 May 2024 09:10
UPDATE: Gaza death toll nears 35,000 as Israel begin Rafah offensive
At least 34,789 Palestinians have been killed and 78,204 injured in Israel‘s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October, Gaza’s health ministry has said in an updated statement.
Palestinian news agency Wafa reported this morning that 20 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed by Israeli airstrikes already. It reports that an additional person was killed by a strike on Gaza City in the north.
Tom Watling7 May 2024 09:00
Qatar-Egypt ceasefire proposal is leaked - read below
A copy of the ceasefire proposal submitted by Qatar and Egypt concerning the war between Israel and Hamas has been leaked to Al Jazeera.
Hamas has accepted the proposal but Israel, who have just launched an offensive in Rafah, the last remaining area of the Gaza Strop to be invaded, rejected the bid.
The plan is broken down into three 42-day stages, with the majority of hostage swaps and military retreats taking place during the first stage.
During the first 42 days, 600 trucks of humanitarian aid are due to be delivered on a daily basis, while Israel is expected to slowly withdraw from areas in Gaza, starting from the north and finishing in the south.
Regarding hostages, the text reads: “During the first phase, Hamas shall release 33 Israeli captives (alive or dead), including women (civilians and soldiers), children (under the age of 19 who are not soldiers), those over the age of 50, and the sick, in exchange for a number of prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centres.”
The ratio of swaps would be one Israeli hostage for 30 Palestinian prisoners.
The second and third stages relate to Israel’s “complete withdrawal” from the Gaza Strip and the subsequent reconstruction of the enclave.
You can read the full text here.
Tom Watling7 May 2024 08:53
Israeli offensive in Rafah ‘must not go ahead’, Sir Keir Starmer warns
An Israeli offensive in Rafah “must not go ahead”, Sir Keir Starmer has warned, after the Israeli military told Palestinians to leave parts of the southern Gazan city.
The announcement signals that a long-threatened Israeli ground invasion could be imminent, and came as ceasefire talks appeared to have stalled.
Israel had previously paused its plan to attack Rafah, which it says is the last significant Hamas stronghold, to allow for negotiations over the release of Israeli hostages by the militant group.
Tom Watling7 May 2024 08:40
Borrell: Rafah offensive is going to cause a lot of casualties
The European Union’s top diplomat has warned that Israel’s offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah is “going to cause again a lot of casualties”.
Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said: “The Rafah offensive has started again, in spite of all the requests of the international community, the US, the European Union member states, everybody asking Netanyahu not to attack.
“I am afraid that this is going to cause again a lot of casualties, civilian casualties. Whatever they say. There are no safe zones in Gaza.”
Tom Watling7 May 2024 08:31
Mapped: Where is Rafah and why is Israel invading it?
About 1.4 million Palestinians — more than half of Gaza‘s population — are packed into the city and its surroundings, living in densely packed tent camps, shelters or overcrowded apartments after fleeing to Rafah in hope of escaping Israel‘s attacks.
Tom Watling7 May 2024 08:20
Footage appears to show Israeli tank running over Gaza welcome sign in Rafah
Footage shared by a reporter at the Israeli public broadcaster appears to show an Israeli tank running over an “I Love Gaza” welcome sign on the eastern side of the Rafah crossing.
The footage, shared by Kann News’ military correspondent Itay Blumental, shows a tank of the 401st Brigade rolling into the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing.
Filmed from atop the tank, the footage then appears to show the vehicle running over the sign.
Earlier, the Israeli military confirmed that the 401st Brigade had entered into the eastern side of Rafah in preparation for a ground offensive.
Tom Watling7 May 2024 08:10
