Israel-Hamas war: US halts bomb shipment over Rafah concerns

05/08/2024May 8, 2024

Gaza death toll rises to 34,844 — Gaza health authorities

At least 34,844 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began on October 7, according to figures released by the Hamas-run Health Ministry on Wednesday.

The latest death toll includes at least 55 people who died in the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, 78,404 people have been injured during Israel's military offensive, the ministry added.

The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but around two-thirds of the dead are believed to be women and children.

05/08/2024May 8, 2024

Russia says Israel's Rafah offensive could destabilize the region

Russia said on Wednesday that Israel's offensive in Rafah has escalated the war in Gaza.

"An additional destabilizing factor, including for the entire region, was the launch of an Israeli military ground operation in Rafah," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters.

"About one and a half million Palestinian civilians are concentrated there. In this regard, we demand strict compliance with the provisions of international humanitarian law."

Zakharova also expressed pessimism about broader efforts to secure lasting peace in the Middle East.

"I would like to call it a settlement, but, alas, it is far from a settlement," she said.

"There are no prospects for resolving the situation in the Gaza Strip. On the contrary, the situation in the conflict zone is escalating daily."

Her comments came as talks aimed at securing a cease-fire resumed in Cairo. 

05/08/2024May 8, 2024

Qatar urges international community to prevent 'genocide' in Rafah

Qatar has condemned Israel's military offensive in Rafah and called on the international community to prevent a "genocide,"a term Israel has rejected.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Gulf state called for "urgent international action to prevent the city from being invaded and a crime of genocide being committed."

Since the October 7 Hamas terror attack, Qatar has acted as a key mediator between Israel and the Palestinian militant group, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the US, the EU, Germany and others.

Qatar, along with Egypt and the US, is also involved in ongoing talks in Cairo for a cease-fire deal.

Qatar has strongly condemned Israel's assault on Rafah in the Gaza Strip's southImage: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa/picture alliance

05/08/2024May 8, 2024

US report into Israeli weapons use delayed

The Biden administration is set to miss a Wednesday deadline to deliver a report into whether Israel has violated international law in Gaza.

The National Security Memorandum, known as NSM-20, will look at whether Israel has used US-supplied weapons in a lawful manner.

It will also look at whether Israel has acted to "arbitrarily deny, restrict, or otherwise impede, directly or indirectly," delivery of any US-supported humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Four sources told news agency Reuters that the Biden administration had informed congressional committees that it would not make the deadline.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters on Tuesday that the department was trying to meet the deadline for completing the review, but "it's possible it slips just a little bit."

05/08/2024May 8, 2024

Israel reopens Kerem Shalom border crossing

The Israeli military said it reopened the Kerem Shalom border crossing in the south of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

"Trucks from Egypt carrying humanitarian aid, including food, water, shelter equipment, medicine and medical equipment donated by the international community, are already arriving at the crossing," the army said in a joint statement with COGAT, the Defense Ministry body that oversees Palestinian civil affairs.

It added that the supplies would be transferred to the Gaza side of the crossing after undergoing inspection.

The border crossing was closed on Sunday after a Hamas rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers in the area.

Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by the US, EU, Israel and others.

On Tuesday, Israeli troops took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

05/08/2024May 8, 2024

Cease-fire conditions being finalized, US says

A White House spokesperson has expressed guarded optimism that Israel and Hamas "should be able to close the remaining gaps" of a cease-fire deal that would lead to the release of hostages.

"Hamas responded ... and there were amendments offered," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said.

"Again, that's the task of negotiating. That's what negotiations are all about. It's our understanding from looking at the text that we feel it suggests that we should be able to close these gaps."

Separately, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in Washington that the draft under discussion was an offer made at the end of April.

"That's the offer that was on the table," he said. 

"Hamas seemed to make clear ... in their public statements that they accepted that offer yesterday (Monday). That is not what they did. They responded with amendments — call it a counter proposal if you want — and we're working through the details of that now."

05/08/2024May 8, 2024

US halted bomb shipment to Israel over Rafah concerns

The US paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that they could be used in an assault on the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, according to a senior Biden administration official.

The official said the administration "began to carefully review proposed transfers of particular weapons to Israel that might be used in Rafah" beginning in April.

"As a result of that review, we have paused one shipment of weapons last week," the official told reporters.

These weapons consisted of 1,800 bombs with a nominal weight of 2,000 lbs (900 kilograms) and 1,700 bombs with a nominal weight of 500 lbs (225 kilograms).

It marks the first time the US has acted on a warning that President Joe Biden made to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month that US policy on Gaza would depend on how Israel treated civilians.

More than 1 million Palestinian civilians have sought shelter in Rafah after evacuating from other parts of the Gaza Strip amid Israel's military offensive. Israel launched its assault on Gaza in response to the October 7 terror attack by Hamas militants.

"We are especially focused on the end-use of the 2,000-lb bombs and the impact they could have in dense urban settings as we have seen in other parts of Gaza," the official said.

"We have not made a final determination on how to proceed with this shipment," they added.

zc/nm (AP, Reuters, AFP, dpa)