U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said Israel has not apprised the U.S. of any specific date for the start of a major offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, but added that American and Israeli officials remained in contact to try to ensure that “any kind of major military operation doesn’t do real harm to civilians.” Blinken spoke a day after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed that a date has been set to invade Rafah. The United States, Israel’s closest ally, says a ground operation into Rafah would be a mistake and has demanded to see a credible plan to protect civilians.
Here’s the latest:
Quick Read
- No Specific Date for Rafah Offensive: Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Israel has not informed the U.S. about a specific date for a major offensive in Rafah, Gaza, despite Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s claim that a date has been set.
- U.S.-Israel Communication: The U.S. and Israel are in ongoing discussions to ensure that any significant military action minimizes harm to civilians, with the U.S. expressing concerns about a ground operation in Rafah.
- Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza: The conflict has exacerbated the humanitarian situation in Gaza, with over 1 million people facing starvation. International efforts for a ceasefire are underway in Cairo.
- Casualty Figures: The conflict has resulted in at least 33,360 Palestinian deaths and 74,993 injuries, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, with women and children constituting two-thirds of the fatalities.
- Conflict Background: The war began with a Hamas-led attack in southern Israel, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths, primarily civilians, and around 250 hostages taken.
- U.S. Pressure on Israel: The U.S. is pressuring Israel to improve humanitarian aid access to Gaza and to devise a credible civilian protection plan amidst the ongoing military operations.
- Hostage Families’ Appeal: Family members of hostages held by Hamas met with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, advocating for their release and a temporary ceasefire in Gaza.
- Recent Israeli Airstrike: An Israeli airstrike in central Gaza killed 11 people, including seven women and children, highlighting the ongoing violence and civilian casualties in the conflict.
The Associated Press has the story:
Blinken: Israel hasn’t told US of any specific date for Rafah ground invasion
Newsl;oooks- WASHIGNTON — (AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said Israel has not apprised the U.S. of any specific date for the start of a major offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, but added that American and Israeli officials remained in contact to try to ensure that “any kind of major military operation doesn’t do real harm to civilians.”
Blinken spoke a day after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed that a date has been set to invade Rafah. The city is filled with around 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom are displaced from other parts of the Gaza Strip. The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has said a ground operation into Rafah would be a mistake and has demanded to see a credible plan to protect civilians.
Washington has also been applying pressure on Israel to improve humanitarian aid to Gaza, where half the population is starving and on the brink of famine due to Israel’s tight restrictions on allowing aid trucks through.
“We’re looking at a number of critical things that need to happen in the coming days,” Blinken said, referring to recent Israeli announcements on the opening of new aid routes into Gaza and more active efforts to avoid casualties to both civilians and humanitarian relief workers. “But what matters is results and sustained results and this is what we will be looking at very carefully in the days ahead.”
That includes getting assistance in and distributed to all of the territory “not just in the south, or in central Gaza. It has to get to the north as well,” he said.
Rafah is filled with around 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom are displaced from other parts of the Gaza Strip. Israel’s war against the militant group Hamas has pushed Gaza into a humanitarian crisis, leaving more than 1 million people on the brink of starvation.
International efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas are taking place in Cairo this week.
Israel’s bombardment and ground offensives in Gaza over the past six months have killed at least 33,360 Palestinians and wounded 74,993, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Tuesday. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its tally, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.
The war began Oct. 7 when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage.
FAMILIES OF HOSTAGES HELD IN GAZA MEET WITH U.S. VICE PRESIDENT
WASHINGTON — Several family members of hostages held by Hamas met with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on Tuesday and urged for a deal that would release their loved ones and implement a temporary cease-fire in Gaza.
“The only hope for peace is through the release of all the hostages now,” said Jonathan Dekel-Chen, the father of American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen. On a potential hostage agreement, Dekel-Chen stressed that the world is waiting for “Hamas to get to yes.”
Rachel Goldberg, the mother of American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, called the meeting with Harris “very productive.” She expressed gratitude to the White House and lawmakers for their support, but added: “We need results. We need our people home.”
“You can believe as we do that it is horrible that innocent civilians in Gaza are suffering,” Goldberg said. “And at the same time, you can also know that it is horrible and against international law for hostages to be held against their will.”
During the meeting, Harris emphasized that she and President Joe Biden “have no higher priority than reuniting the hostages with their loved ones,” according to a White House readout, as she gave an update on the administration’s efforts on a hostage deal.
ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE ON HOME IN CENTRAL GAZA KILLS 11 PEOPLE, INCLUDING WOMEN AND KIDS
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli airstrike hit a home in central Gaza on Tuesday evening, killing at least 11 people, including seven women and children, hospital officials said.
After the strike hit in the town of Zawaida, Associated Press footage showed one man carrying the limp body of a little girl and laying her with the bodies of other dead children on the floor at the main hospital in nearby Deir al-Balah. Hospital officials said the dead included five children and two women.
The strike came as the Israeli military withdrew its forces from the southern city of Khan Younis this week, ending a monthslong ground assault that left large parts of the city in ruins. Still, airstrikes have continued in the past days, including in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, where Israel says it plans to launch its next ground assault.
Currently:
— Palestinians returning to Khan Younis find an unrecognizable city after Israeli withdrawal.
— A Moroccan activist was sentenced to 5 years for criticizing the country’s ties to Israel
— Turkey and Israel announce trade barriers on each other as relations deteriorate over Gaza
— At U.N. court, Germany rejects allegations that it’s facilitating acts of genocide in Gaza
— AP Photos chronicle 6 months of devastation in Gaza war with no sign of an end.
— Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
