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Israeli forces shell central Gaza, tanks advance in Rafah

In one incident, an Israeli airstrike around midnight targeted a house in Al-Zawyda, killing eight people…reports Asian Lite News

Israeli forces intensified their operations in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of at least nine Palestinians, according to health officials.

In one incident, an Israeli airstrike around midnight targeted a house in Al-Zawyda, killing eight people.

Another strike in the Nuseirat refugee camp claimed the life of one man; this camp had already witnessed a tragic airstrike on a school the previous day, which killed 23 people.

Residents reported that Israeli tanks also shelled the eastern areas of Al-Bureij and Al-Maghazi camps, and an airstrike destroyed a mosque.

In the southern city of Rafah, Israeli tanks conducted a limited raid in the north before retreating, a strategy previously employed in other areas.

Since May, tanks have been active in most parts of Rafah but have avoided deeper incursions into the northern districts.

Medics reported that two people were killed in Rafah by an Israeli strike on Wednesday. Residents also claimed that Israeli forces had demolished dozens of homes.

The Israeli military stated that their troops were engaged in “precise, intelligence-based operational activity in the Rafah area,” having eliminated a terrorist cell and a launcher used against their forces.

They also mentioned that airstrikes had hit 25 targets across Gaza over the past day, and that troops were continuing operations in the central region to dismantle observation structures.

India presses for Gaza truce, hostage release at UN

India at the United Nations has reiterated its call for an immediate and complete ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and called for the release of the hostages without any conditions.

Delivering his remarks at the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) Open Debate on the Middle East on Wednesday, India’s Deputy Representative to the UN, R Ravindra, also underlined that India’s developmental assistance to Palestine, in various forms over the years, amounts close to USD 120 million.

“India was among the countries which strongly and unequivocally condemned the terror attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. We have also condemned the loss of civilian lives in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. We have called for restraint, de-escalation and emphasized peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy,” he said

He urged adherence to international law and international humanitarian law under all circumstances.

“We reiterate the call for an immediate, full and complete ceasefire, safe, timely and sustained humanitarian assistance and unrestricted access to relief and essential humanitarian services in the Gaza Strip. In addition, we also call for immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” Ambassador R Ravindra said.

He also appreciated the role of countries like Qatar and Egypt for their continued engagement with the leadership of Israel and Palestine.

“We have consistently reiterated our position in all the relevant multilateral fora,” he added.

India stands for peace and stability in the region. “It has been our longstanding position that we support a two-state solution that entails the establishment of a sovereign, viable and independent state of Palestine within recognized and mutually agreed borders, living side by side with Israel in peace. With due regard to the security needs of Israel, India was represented at the senior level at the International High-Level Conference on Urgent humanitarian response to Gaza held in Jordan last month,” the Ambassador said.

He also underlined that India’s developmental assistance to Palestine, in various forms over the years, amounts close to USD 120 million.

“Our developmental assistance to Palestine in various forms over the years amounts close to USD 120 million, including USD 35 million as a contribution to UNRWA. India has been providing an annual contribution of USD 5 million since 2018 to UNRWA. We have already announced the disbursement of USD 2.5 million. The first trans of our annual contribution to UNRWA was transferred early this week on July 15, 2024,” he added.

Concluding his remarks, he stated that India stands ready to continue its engagement with the region with an abiding faith in realizing the vision of sustained peace and stability in West Asia.(ANI)

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Qatar, Egypt Press Hamas To Accept Israel’s Ceasefire Proposal

A meeting between the Qatar and Egyptian negotiators with Hamas political head, Ismail Haniyeh was reportedly held on Friday night.

The negotiators from Qatar and Egypt are pushing the Hamas political leadership to accept the ceasefire proposal mooted by Israel at the behest of the United States.

Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and the head of Egyptian intelligence, Major General Abbas Kamel met the Hamas political head, Ismail Haniyeh and pushed the militant group to accept the proposal of Israel for a ceasefire.

Sources in Israel’s PMO told IANS that the meeting between the Qatar and Egyptian negotiators with Haniyeh was held on Friday night.

Israel has given a three-phase ceasefire proposal at the behest of the United States. It included the release of hostages inclusive of women, children, elderly and injured, and that Israel forces would withdraw from the densely populated regions of Gaza including Rafah. There is to be a six-week ceasefire as part of this during the first phase.

The released hostages would include American hostages. In exchange for this, Palestinians would return to their homes from all areas of Gaza including the northern region from where maximum exodus had taken place.

During the six weeks of ceasefire, Israel and Hamas would negotiate the necessary agreements for phase two, which will be a permanent ceasefire.

Qatar and Egyptian negotiators are keen for the permanent ceasefire to happen.

In the second phase, all the hostages would be released and around 900 Palestinian prisoners in Israel jails would also be released. The third phase would lead to the reconstruction plan for Gaza and the release of any remaining hostages.

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Israel denies strike on camp near Rafah

International unease over Israel’s three-week-old Rafah offensive has turned to outrage after an attack on Sunday set off a blaze in a tent camp in a western district of the city, killing at least 45 people…reports Asian Lite News

Israel’s military denied striking a tent camp west of the city of Rafah on Tuesday after Gaza health authorities said Israeli tank shelling had killed at least 21 people there, in what Israel has designated a civilian evacuation zone.

Earlier, defying an appeal from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Israeli tanks advanced to the heart of Rafah for the first time after a night of heavy bombardment, while Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognized a Palestinian state, a move that further deepened Israel’s international isolation.

The United States, Israel’s closest ally, reiterated its opposition to a major Israeli ground offensive in Rafah but said it did not believe such an operation was underway.

Two days after an Israeli airstrike on another camp stirred global condemnation, Gaza emergency services said four tank shells hit a cluster of tents in Al-Mawasi, a coastal strip that Israel had advised civilians in Rafah to move to for safety.

At least 12 of the dead were women, according to medical officials in the Hamas militant-run Palestinian enclave.

But Israel’s military later said in a statement: “Contrary to the reports from the last few hours, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) did not strike in the Humanitarian Area in Al-Mawasi.”

Tuesday’s incident in Al-Mawasi occurred in an area designated by Israel as an expanded humanitarian zone. Israel had urged Palestinian civilians in Rafah, including around one million displaced by the almost eight-month-old war, to evacuate there when it launched its incursion in early May.

In central Rafah, tanks and armored vehicles mounted with machine guns were spotted near Al-Awda mosque, a city landmark, witnesses told Reuters. The Israeli military said its forces continued to operate in the Rafah area, without commenting on reported advances into the city center.

International unease over Israel’s three-week-old Rafah offensive has turned to outrage after an attack on Sunday set off a blaze in a tent camp in a western district of the city, killing at least 45 people.

Israel said it had targeted two senior Hamas operatives and had not intended to cause civilian casualties.

Global leaders voiced horror at the fire in a designated “humanitarian zone” of Rafah where families uprooted by fighting elsewhere had sought shelter, and urged the implementation of a World Court order last week for a halt to Israel’s assault.

The Israeli military said it was investigating the possibility that munitions stored near a compound targeted by Sunday’s airstrike may have ignited and touched off the blaze.

Residents said Rafah’s Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood, the scene of Sunday’s night-time strike in which tents and shelters were set ablaze as families settled down to sleep, was still being bombarded.

“Tank shells are falling everywhere in Tel Al-Sultan. Many families have fled their houses in western Rafah under fire throughout the night,” one resident told Reuters via a chat app.

The Biden administration said on Tuesday it was closely monitoring the probe into Sunday’s air strike. US Vice President Kamala Harris said: “The word tragic doesn’t even begin to describe” what happened on Sunday.

But White House spokesman John Kirby said there was nothing in the incidents on Sunday or on Tuesday that would prompt the United States to halt its military aid to Israel.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres added his voice to the chorus of condemnation of Sunday’s strike and again urged Israel to allow “the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need.”

In a further blow to aid efforts, a part of the US military’s pier off Gaza’s coast has broken off, probably due to bad weather, rendering it temporarily inoperable, two US officials said. The United Nations has transported 137 trucks of aid from the pier since it began operations two weeks ago.

Spain, Norway and Ireland said they hoped their decision to recognize a Palestinian state would speed up efforts toward securing a ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas militants, which has reduced much of the densely populated territory to rubble.

Egypt is again trying in tandem with Qatar and the US to revive talks on a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas, but efforts have been hampered by Israel’s assault on Rafah, Cairo’s state-affiliated Al-Qahera News TV channel said on Tuesday, citing a senior official.

Around one million people — many repeatedly uprooted by shifting waves of the war — have fled the Israeli offensive in Rafah since early May, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported on Tuesday.

Israel seized control of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt three weeks ago. Its tanks then entered some eastern districts of the city but had previously not rumbled into the center in full force.

On Tuesday, witnesses also reported gunbattles between Israeli troops and Hamas-led fighters in the area of the Zurub hilltop in western Rafah.

More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive, Gaza’s health ministry says. Israel launched its air and ground war after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel says it wants to root out the last major intact formations of Hamas fighters hunkered down in Rafah and rescue hostages it says are being held in the area.

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UNSC set to meet over deadly Rafah strike

Diplomats said the UN Security Council would convene Tuesday for an emergency session called by Algeria to discuss the attack…reports Asian Lite News

The UN Security Council was set to convene an emergency meeting Tuesday over an Israeli strike that killed dozens in a displaced persons camp in Rafah, as three European countries were slated to formally recognize a Palestinian state.

Eyewitness on the ground early Tuesday reported fresh Israeli strikes overnight in the southern Gaza border city, where an Israeli attack targeting two senior Hamas members on Sunday night sparked a fire that ripped through a displacement center, killing 45, according to Gaza health officials.

The attack prompted a wave of international condemnation, with Palestinians and many Arab countries calling it a “massacre.” Israel said it was looking into the “tragic accident.”

“There is no safe place in Gaza. This horror must stop,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres posted on social media.

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths pointed to the widespread warnings of civilian deaths that circulated ahead of Israel’s incursion into Rafah, saying in a statement: “We’ve seen the consequences in last night’s utterly unacceptable attack.”

“To call it ‘a mistake’ is a message that means nothing for those killed, those grieving, and those trying to save lives,” he added.

Diplomats said the UN Security Council would convene Tuesday for an emergency session called by Algeria to discuss the attack.

The EU’s foreign policy chief said he was “horrified by news” of the strike, while French President Emmanuel Macron said he was “outraged,” and a US National Security Council spokesperson said Israel “must take every precaution possible to protect civilians.”

The Israeli military said it was launching a probe.

Displaced Gazan Khalil Al-Bahtini was preparing to leave the impacted area, saying Monday that “last night, the tent opposite to ours was targeted.”

“We have loaded all our belongings, but we don’t know where to go.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told parliament the deaths occurred “despite our best efforts” to protect civilians.

The outcry over the strike came as Spain, Ireland and Norway were set to formally recognize a Palestinian state on Tuesday in a decision slammed by Israel as a “reward” for Hamas.

“Recognizing the state of Palestine is about justice for the Palestinian people,” Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Monday in Brussels.

It was also “the best guarantee of security for Israel and absolutely essential for reaching peace in the region,” he said alongside his Irish and Norwegian counterparts.

On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he had told Spain’s consulate in Jerusalem to stop offering consular services to West Bank Palestinians from June 1 as a “preliminary punitive” measure.

Israel launched the deadly strike on Rafah late Sunday, hours after Hamas fired a barrage of rockets at the Tel Aviv area, most of which were intercepted.

Israel’s army said its aircraft “struck a Hamas compound” in the city and killed Yassin Rabia and Khaled Nagar, senior officials for the militant group in the occupied West Bank.

Gaza’s civil defense agency said the strike ignited a fire that tore through a displacement center in northwestern Rafah near a facility of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.

“We saw charred bodies and dismembered limbs… We also saw cases of amputations, wounded children, women and the elderly,” said civil defense agency official Mohammad Al-Mughayyir.

One survivor, a woman who declined to be named, said: “We heard a loud sound and there was fire all around us. The children were screaming.”

Adding to already heightened tensions since Israel launched its Rafah ground operation, the Israeli and Egyptian militaries reported a “shooting incident” on Monday that killed one Egyptian guard in the border area between Egypt and the southern Gaza Strip.

Both forces said they were investigating.

Footage from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society showed chaotic nighttime scenes of paramedics racing to the attack site and evacuating the wounded.

Mughayyir said the rescue efforts were hampered by war damage and the impact of Israel’s siege, which has led to severe shortages of fuel and “water to extinguish fires.”

The Israeli attack sparked strong protests from Egypt and Qatar, both of which have played key roles as mediators in efforts to negotiate a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange.

Egypt deplored what it called the “targeting of defenseless civilians,” saying it was part of “a systematic policy aimed at widening the scope of death and destruction in the Gaza Strip to make it uninhabitable.”

Qatar condemned a “dangerous violation of international law” and voiced “concern that the bombing will complicate ongoing mediation efforts” toward a truce.

The top world court, the International Court of Justice, on Friday ordered Israel to halt any offensive in Rafah and elsewhere that could bring about “the physical destruction” of the Palestinians.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 36,050 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, which has been central to aid operations in the besieged territory during the war, said on social media platform X that “with every day passing, providing assistance & protection becomes nearly impossible.” “The images from last night are testament to how Rafah has turned into hell on Earth,” he said.

ALSO READ-UN refugee agency says attacks on Rafah ‘horrifying’

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UN refugee agency says attacks on Rafah ‘horrifying’

The Israeli military said its air force struck a Hamas compound in Rafah, and that the incident was under review…reports Asian Lite News

Palestinian health workers said Israeli airstrikes killed at least 45 people Sunday and hit tents for displaced people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, and “numerous” others were trapped in flaming debris. Gaza’s Health Ministry said women and children made up most of the dead and dozens of wounded.

The attacks came two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population had sought shelter before Israel’s incursion earlier this month. Tens of thousands of people remain in the area while many others have fled.

Footage from the scene of the largest airstrike showed heavy destruction. Israel’s army confirmed the strike and said it hit a Hamas installation and killed two senior Hamas militants. It said it was investigating reports that civilians were harmed. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was in Rafah on Sunday and was briefed on the “deepening of operations” there, his office said.

The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, said on Monday that reports of attacks on families seeking shelter in Rafah in the southern tip of the Gaza Strip were “horrifying”.

“Information coming out of Rafah about further attacks on families seeking shelter is horrifying,” UNRWA wrote on X.

“There are reports of mass casualties including children and women among those killed. Gaza is hell on earth. Images from last night are yet another testament to that.”

Palestinian health and civil emergency service officials said on Sunday Israeli air strikes killed at least 35 Palestinians and wounded dozens in an area in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah designated for the displaced.

The Israeli military said its air force struck a Hamas compound in Rafah, and that the incident was under review.

The society asserted that the location had been designated by Israel as a “humanitarian area.” The neighborhood is not included in areas that Israel’s military ordered evacuated earlier this month.

The airstrike was reported hours after Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv for the first time in months in a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel’s massive air, sea and ground offensive.

There were no reports of casualties in what appeared to be the first long-range rocket attack from Gaza since January. Hamas’ military wing claimed responsibility. Israel’s military said eight projectiles crossed into Israel after being launched from Rafah and “a number” were intercepted, and the launcher was destroyed.

Earlier Sunday, dozens of aid trucks entered Gaza from southern Israel under a new agreement to bypass the Rafah crossing with Egypt after Israeli forces seized the Palestinian side of it earlier this month. Israel’s military said 126 aid trucks entered via the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing.

But it was not immediately clear if humanitarian groups could access the aid — including medical supplies — because of fighting. The crossing has been largely inaccessible because of Israel’s offensive in Rafah. United Nations agencies say it is usually too dangerous to retrieve the aid. The World Health Organization last week said an expanded Israeli incursion in Rafah would have “disastrous” impact.”

“With the humanitarian operation near collapse, the secretary-general emphasizes that the Israeli authorities must facilitate the safe pickup and delivery of humanitarian supplies from Egypt entering Kerem Shalom,” the spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres said in a statement.

Egypt refuses to reopen its side of the Rafah crossing until control of the Gaza side is handed back to Palestinians. It agreed to temporarily divert traffic through Kerem Shalom, Gaza’s main cargo terminal, after a call between US President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.Egypt on Monday condemned what it called the “deliberate bombardment by Israeli forces of displaced peoples’ tents” in Rafah, in strikes which Gaza’s civil defence agency said killed at least 45 people.

ALSO READ-Israel must obey UN court on Rafah: EU

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Netanyahu calls Israeli strike on Rafah ‘tragic mistake’

Khaled Najjar, another senior member of Hamas, directed shooting attacks and terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria, according to the IDF…reports Asian Lite News

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday called the country’s strike on a displacement camp in Rafah a “tragic mistake.” He said that Israel is carrying out investigation into the incident, CNN reported.

In his address at the Israeli Knesset on Monday, Netanyahu said, “Despite our best effort, not to harm those not involved, unfortunately a tragic mistake happened last night. We are investigating the case.”

At least 45 people were killed and 200 others were injured after the Israeli strike hit a camp for displaced people, CNN reported, according to the government media office in Gaza.

Shortly after the attack, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced that two senior Hamas officials had been killed after targeting a Hamas compound. The Israeli attack followed Hamas’ first rocket attack on the Israeli city of Tel Aviv in months.

In a statement, the IDF said the strike had killed Yassin Rabia, who managed the Hamas terrorist activity in Judea and Samari and transferred funds to terrorist targets. According to IDF, Rabia was also behind numerous attacks in which IDF soldiers were killed.

Furthermore, Khaled Najjar, another senior member of Hamas, directed shooting attacks and terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria, according to the IDF.

In a post on X, IDF stated, “Eliminated in the precise airstrike in northwest Rafah: Hamas Chief of Staff in Judea and Samaria and an additional senior Hamas official. Terrorist #1: Yassin Rabia Rabia managed the entirety of Hamas’ terrorist activity in Judea and Samaria, transferred funds to terrorist targets and planned Hamas terrorist attacks throughout Judea and Samaria. He also carried out numerous attacks, in which IDF soldiers were killed.”

“Terrorist #2: Khaled Najjar. Najjar, a senior official in Hamas’ Judea and Samaria Headquarters, directed shooting attacks and other terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria and transferred funds intended for Hamas’ terrorist activities in Gaza. He also carried out several deadly terrorist attacks in which IDF soldiers were killed,” it added.

Videos posted on social media showed a large fire at the scene, with paramedics and firefighters working to manage the aftermath. The area that had been targeted included a large container used as a shelter for dozens of families, surrounded by hundreds of tents.

Gaza’s government office said, “The Israeli occupation army had designated these areas as safe zones, calling on citizens and displaced persons to head to these safe areas,” adding that when displaced people sought refuge, they came under attack, according to a CNN report.

Earlier, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed the strike and said that it struck a “Hamas compound in Rafah in which significant Hamas terrorists were operating a short while ago.” The IDF said that it was aware of reports indicating that several civilians were harmed due to the strike and fire that was ignited and added that the incident is under review.

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Israel must obey UN court on Rafah: EU

Josep Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, speaks at a press conference with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky (not in the picture) after a two-day informal meeting of European Union (EU) foreign ministers in Prague, the Czech Republic, on Aug. 31, 2022. (Xinhua/Deng Yaomin/IANS)

The ICJ – the UN’s top court based in the Dutch city of The Hague – on Friday ordered Israel to immediately cease its attack on the city….reports Asian Lite News

A UN court order for Israel to stop its military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah must be obeyed, the European Union’s foreign affairs chief said on Saturday.

“We take note of the order” handed down to Israel, Josep Borrell said on X. “ICJ (International Court of Justice) orders are binding on the Parties, and they have to be fully and effectively implemented.”

The ICJ – the UN’s top court based in the Dutch city of The Hague – on Friday ordered Israel to immediately cease its attack on the city.

The operation is officially directed at the Palestinian militant group Hamas but is also inflicting huge suffering on thousands of civilians caught in the city.

According to the judges, the humanitarian situation in Rafah is now “disastrous.” Further measures are necessary to prevent further harm to the civilian population, they added.

In his post, Borrell highlighted the court order for Israel to “maintain the Rafah crossing open for humanitarian assistance.”

Israel on Friday responded to the court’s ruling by insisting its actions in Rafah were part of a “defensive and just war” following the October 7 terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas.

In a joint statement, the head of Israel’s National Security Council and a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the country “has not and will not conduct military actions in the Rafah area which may inflict on the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”

“The charges of genocide brought by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague are false, outrageous and morally repugnant,” the statement added.

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UNRWA: Nearly 800,000 now displaced from Rafah

Following evacuation orders demanding people to flee to so-called safe zones, people mainly went to the middle areas in Gaza and Khan Younis, including to destroyed buildings, according to UNRWA…reports Asian Lite News

Roughly 800,000 people have been forced to flee Rafah since Israel launched a military operation in the area on 6 May, the head of UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA said on Saturday in a renewed appeal for greater protection of civilians in Gaza, safe humanitarian access and, ultimately, a ceasefire.

“Once again, nearly half of the population of Rafah or 800,000 people are on the road,” Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini wrote in post on the social media platform X. formerly Twitter.

He said that following evacuation orders demanding people to flee to so-called safe zones, people mainly went to the middle areas in Gaza and Khan Younis, including to destroyed buildings.

“The claim that people in Gaza can move to ‘safe’ or ‘humanitarian’ zones is false. Each time, it puts the lives of civilians at serious risk,” Lazzarini stated.

“Gaza does not have any safe zones,” he added. “No place is safe. No one is safe.”

False accusations against UNRWA: Jordan

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has said that anyone claiming the situation in the Gaza Strip is improving is not telling the truth, and accusations against the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) have been proven false.

He made the remarks at a joint press conference in Amman with UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, during which he said on Sunday that UNRWA is fulfilling its duty in the Palestinian enclave despite the circumstances of the Gaza conflict, Xinhua news agency reported.

Safadi confirmed that Jordan continues to stand by UNRWA, the role of which cannot be dispensed with or replaced by any other entity, according to a statement by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry.

He stressed that the investigation conducted by an independent committee confirmed that UNRWA has all the tools to ensure that its actions adhere to all principles, ethics, and charters of the United Nations.

“The accusations have been proven false and the attempt to politically assassinate UNRWA has failed,” said Safadi.

For his part, Lazzarini thanked Jordan for its support for the agency and its solidarity with Palestinian refugees.

Lazzarini stressed that despite all the international community’s calls, Israel invaded and attacked the southernmost Gaza city of Rafah on May 6, with half of Gaza’s population forced to flee.

He pointed out that the two main crossings in the south, Rafah Crossing, and Kerem Shalom Crossing, have turned into conflict zones, and there are currently no crossings to transport aid across the borders.

Lazzarini noted that “198 UNRWA employees were killed, 160 sites were completely or partially destroyed, and employees were arrested, tortured, and forced to confess to crimes they did not commit”.

Egypt demands opening of all Israeli crossings for aid

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stressed on Friday the need for Israel to open all land crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip for full, safe, and unhindered access to humanitarian and relief aid into the war-torn area.

Shoukry made the remarks during a phone conversation with Sigrid Kaag, the United Nations Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The top Egyptian diplomat and the UN official touched on the dangers of Israeli military operations in Rafah, as well as the Israeli control over the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing.

They also stressed the need to ensure safe conditions for humanitarian aid to enter the Rafah crossing and end military operations in its vicinity.

Shoukry affirmed the importance of Israel respecting and protecting humanitarian workers, not targeting the headquarters of international relief agencies, as well as ensuring the access and freedom of movement of relief crews in the Gaza Strip.

On May 7, Israel’s military started “a precise counterterrorism operation” in Rafah and assumed “operational control” over the Rafah crossing in Gaza. Since then, the crossing has been blocked against the movement of travelers and trucks carrying aid to more than 2 million Palestinians in the enclave.

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‘Israel’s Rafah offensive would not eliminate Hamas’

Secretary of State Antony Blinken says an Israeli offensive on the Gaza city of Rafah would provoke “anarchy”…reports Asian Lite News

An all-out Israeli offensive on the Gaza city of Rafah would provoke “anarchy” without eliminating Hamas, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday, as Washington stepped up a pressure campaign against such an assault.

Separately, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan emphasized Washington’s concerns about an offensive in a call with his Israeli counterpart, Tzachi Hanegbi.

“Mr. Sullivan reiterated President Biden’s longstanding concerns over the potential for a major military ground operation into Rafah, where over one million people have taken shelter,” a White House readout of the phone call said.

It said Hanegbi “confirmed that Israel is taking US concerns into account,” but did not elaborate.

Israeli bombardment in the eastern parts of Rafah have already sent 300,000 Gazans fleeing.

The United States and other countries, as well as top UN officials, have warned that a full-out assault on Rafah could have a disastrous impact on the refugees driven there by fighting elsewhere in Gaza, many of them living in desperate conditions.

Israel has said it is attempting to keep civilian casualties to a minimum.

But Blinken, when asked on CBS’s “Face the Nation” whether the US concurred with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement that Israeli forces had killed more civilians than Hamas militants since the war began, replied simply, “Yes, we do.”

Blinken said a full-scale invasion could come “potentially at an incredibly high cost” and that even a massive assault on Rafah was unlikely to end the Hamas threat.

“Israel’s on the trajectory, potentially, to inherit an insurgency with many armed Hamas left, or if it leaves, a vacuum filled by chaos, filled by anarchy and probably refilled by Hamas,” he said.

Blinken also confirmed that the hold President Joe Biden has placed on weapons to Israel — as the US continues pressing it to better protect civilians and avoid an all-out invasion of Rafah — is limited to 3,500 “high-capacity” bombs.

He said the United States was continuing to press Israeli leaders to provide a plan for Gaza once the war is finally over, telling NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “we’ve been talking to them about a much better way of getting an enduring result.”

The US diplomat said Hamas militants had already returned to certain areas of northern Gaza that Israel had “liberated.”

Blinken also spoke Sunday with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, insisting again the United States opposed a major Israel ground operation in Rafah, the State Department said.

“The Secretary underscored the urgent need to protect civilians and aid workers in Gaza and urged the Minister to ensure assistance can move into Gaza and help address distribution challenges inside of Gaza as Israel pursues Hamas targets,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Israel struck Gaza on Sunday and troops battled militants in several areas of the Hamas-run territory, where the health ministry said the death toll in the war had exceeded 35,000 people.

More than seven months into the war, UN chief Antonio Guterres urged “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and an immediate surge in humanitarian aid.”

Asked about a State Department report issued Friday that said Israel likely has violated norms of international law in its use of US weapons, Blinken said there was still too little evidence to warrant ending all military support.

The chaotic and dangerous conditions of an ongoing war, he said, made it “very difficult” to determine exactly what was happening, or what weapons were used, in any specific action.

Republicans have been sharply critical even of Biden’s limited halt to providing bombs.

Senator Tom Cotton, who serves on the Armed Services Committee, told CBS that the State Department report “was very clear: there is no evidence that Israel is violating international law.”

He said Israel “is doing more than any military in history to prevent civilian casualties.”

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden finds himself at the centre of bipartisan criticism from Capitol Hill regarding his recent ultimatum to Israel, warning of a halt in some US weapons shipments in response to a potential major Israeli offensive in Rafah, CNN reported.

In a televised interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett, Biden’s declaration drew swift rebuke from lawmakers across the political spectrum. Republican Senator JD Vance of Ohio questioned the coherence of Biden’s approach, pointing out the contradiction between expressing concern for Palestinian civilian casualties and withholding weapons designed to minimise such casualties.

“On the one hand, they’re saying too many Palestinian civilians have been killed. With the other hand, they’re depriving us of the precision-guided weapons that actually cut down on civilian casualties,” Republican Senator JD Vance of Ohio told CNN though Biden specifically mentioned withholding bombs and artillery shells deemed by the administration as indiscriminate and imprecise.

“So if you’re worried about Palestinian casualties, the stated policy here actually doesn’t make a ton of sense,” Vance said, as reported by CNN.

The administration’s decision extends beyond mere rhetoric, with a review underway regarding the sale or transfer of munitions like Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits to Israel. However, these potential transfers remain pending, according to a US official.

Biden’s public announcement marks a significant shift in US-Israeli relations since the conflict between Israel and Hamas erupted seven months prior. Despite the administration’s assertion that Israel had been forewarned, the move has stirred controversy, particularly among Republicans.

ALSO READ: Israel strikes Gaza as more Rafah evacuations ordered

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Israel strikes Gaza as more Rafah evacuations ordered

The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages…reports Asian Lite News

The Israel Defense Forces said that its troops have been operating in eastern Rafah and have “intensified” operational activity in the Zeitoun area in central Gaza, CNN reported.

This comes after the Israeli military ordered the immediate evacuation of several more neighbourhoods in eastern Rafah as the Israeli military steps up its operations in the southern Gazan city.

According to CNN, the military has also ordered residents and the displaced people in several neighbourhoods in northern Gaza to leave the area immediately and head toward “shelters” west of Gaza City.

The IDF says dozens of gunmen have been killed and many weapons have been captured amid the ongoing raid in Zeitoun, Times of Israel reported

In Rafah, troops killed several more Hamas gunmen in the eastern part of the city, as well as located several tunnels, the IDF says.

According to the IDF, the aircraft struck “tens of terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip, including military structures, launch posts, observation posts, terrorist operatives and additional terrorist infrastructure.”

As per the update from the local hospitals, at least 47 people were killed, including children, in Israeli airstrikes in northern and central Gaza Friday evening and overnight, as per CNN.

IDF troops have also been operating “against Hamas terrorists and infrastructure in specific areas of eastern Rafah,” the IDF said. “Over the past day, IDF troops eliminated numerous terrorists in close-quarters combat and dismantled terrorist infrastructure in the area.”

It added that IDF troops had also uncovered numerous underground tunnel shafts in the area adjacent to the Rafah crossing into Egypt.

Following this, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said that 28 people were killed as a result of Israeli military operations in the most recent 24 hours. The Ministry also stated that 69 people had been injured in the same period.

Since the launch of the Israeli counter-offensive, 34,971 people have been killed in Gaza and 78,641 injured, the Ministry stated.

The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages.

Israel has since, characterised its Gaza offensive as targeting Hamas’ infrastructure with the goal of eliminating the entire terror group while making efforts to minimize civilian casualties.

Biden’s stern message to Hamas

US President Joe Biden said that a ceasefire in the war in Gaza is possible “tomorrow” if Hamas released the hostages in its captivity.

He was speaking at a fundraiser event in Seattle on Saturday (local time).

“Before I begin, let me answer a question related to the hostages…You know, there would be a ceasefire tomorrow if…Hamas released the hostages, women, the elderly, and the wounded,” Biden said.

“Israel said it’s up to Hamas if they wanted to do it, we could end it tomorrow. And the ceasefire would begin tomorrow,” he added.

This comes after Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams left Cairo, Egypt without a deal earlier this week, as reported by CNN.

Earlier on Friday, families of the five Americans believed to be held hostage in Gaza met with national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk.

According to a readout of the meeting from representatives for the families, they “expressed their immense frustration with yet another pause, especially after recent hostage videos showed their loved ones disabled, thin, pale, and under apparent duress” to the Biden administration officials.

Hamas said Israel’s rejection of a ceasefire plan submitted by mediators at negotiations in Cairo sent hostage release talks back to “square one.” It also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “hindering” the ceasefire talks to use negotiations as a cover to attack the southern Gazan city of Rafah.

Notably, Israel has repeatedly refused to agree to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas gets defeated, even if all hostages are released, CNN reported.

“The Hamas proposal was very far from Israel’s core demands,” Netanyahu said on Tuesday.

This remark comes days after Biden paused the delivery of over 3000 heavy bombs to Israel and vowed to hold more offensive weapons if Israeli forces launch a major operation in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering, The Hill reported.

This came amid sweeping college protests and frustration with the war from some Democrats and his left flank.

Meanwhile, as Israel started its operation in Rafah despite concerns, it has ordered several more neighbourhoods in eastern Rafah to immediately evacuate as the military steps up its operations in the southern Gazan city.

Rafah, the southern Gazan city is believed to be the last holdout for Hamas but it shelters more than 1 million displaced Palestinians.

Avichay Adraee, head of the Arab media division of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, said in a statement that people in the Rafah and Al-Shaboura camps, and in the neighborhoods of Al-Adari, Al-Jeneina, and parts of Khirbet Al-Adas, should “immediately head to the expanded humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi.”

Al-Mawasi is an area that has already been crowded with displaced Palestinians before civilians in Rafah were ordered to move there, as reported by CNN.

This has met with sharp criticism from European Union Council President Charles Michel, who said that it is “unacceptable” for the Israeli military to issue evacuation orders for civilians in Rafah to “unsafe zones.”

“We call on the Israeli government to respect international humanitarian law and urge not to undertake a ground operation in #Rafah,” he said in an X post on Saturday.

Additionally, Michel said humanitarian assistance must get through “fully functioning” crossing points. (ANI)

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