Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that the army had presented to the War Cabinet its operational plan for a ground offensive into Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost town along the border with Egypt, where 1.4 million Palestinians have sought safety.
Quick Read
- The Israeli military has outlined an operational plan for a potential ground offensive in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost town, to the War Cabinet, as the town becomes a refuge for 1.4 million Palestinians amidst the ongoing conflict.
- Concerns have risen globally over the situation in Rafah, where displaced individuals have formed dense tent camps, prompting warnings from Israel’s allies about the necessity of civilian protection during military actions against Hamas.
- The Israeli government has approved a strategy for the secure delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, aiming to prevent looting, though specific details of the plan remain undisclosed.
- The conflict, which began with a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, has resulted in significant casualties, including 1,200 people in Israel, primarily civilians, and nearly 30,000 in Gaza, with a majority being women and children, as reported by Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel claims to have eliminated 10,000 militants, a figure for which it has not provided substantiation.
- Israel’s Supreme Court is deliberating on cases that could mandate military service for ultra-Orthodox men, amid protests and debates over the exemptions currently granted to them for religious studies, as the military faces strain from the prolonged conflict in Gaza and heightened tensions in the region.
- The death toll in Gaza has increased by 90 in the last 24 hours due to Israeli bombardment, with a total of 29,782 fatalities and 70,043 injuries reported since the onset of the war on October 7, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The Associated Press has the story:
Israeli military presents a plan for a Rafah offensive to the War Cabinet
Newslooks- JERUSALEM (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that the army had presented to the War Cabinet its operational plan for a ground offensive into Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost town along the border with Egypt, where 1.4 million Palestinians have sought safety.
The situation in Rafah, where dense tent camps have sprouted to house the displaced, has sparked global concern and Israel’s allies have warned that it must protect civilians in its battle against Hamas.
Netanyahu’s office also said the War Cabinet had approved a plan to deliver humanitarian aid safely into Gaza in a way that would “prevent the cases of looting.” It did not disclose further details.
The war began after Hamas-led militants rampaged across southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 others hostage.
Nearly 30,000 people in Gaza, two thirds of them women and children, have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave, which does not distinguish in its count between fighters and noncombatants. Israel says it has killed 10,000 militants, without providing evidence.
90 PEOPLE REPORTED KILLED ACROSS GAZA IN THE LAST 24 HOURS
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — The bodies of 90 people killed in Israel’s bombardment have been brought to hospitals in the war-wrecked Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory reported Monday.
Hospitals had also received 164 wounded, it said.
The fresh fatalities brought the death toll in Gaza to 29,782 since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, the ministry said in its daily briefing. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants, but said two thirds of the dead are children and women.
Another 70,043 had been wounded since Oct. 7, it said.
The ministry said many casualties remain under the rubble and first responders have been unable to retrieve them amid the relentless bombing.
The war began after Hamas-led militants rampaged across southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking roughly 250 people hostage.
ISRAELI COURT HEARS ARGUMENTS IN CASE OF ULTRA-ORTHODOX MEN SERVING IN ARMY
JERUSALEM — Israel’s Supreme Court has heard arguments in cases that would force ultra-Orthodox men to serve in the army, as the military is strained by the nearly five-month war in Gaza.
Hundreds of people protested outside the court in Jerusalem on Monday, waving flags and chanting for equal service, as the court began to hear arguments that would cancel the exemption for ultra-Orthodox men.
Military service is compulsory for Jewish men, but politically powerful ultra-Orthodox parties have won exemptions for their communities to allow men to study full-time in religious seminaries. These exemptions have prompted widespread anger and resentment from the secular majority, especially as the army has recently announced that compulsory service may be extended and reserve duty will be more frequent as the war continues in Gaza and tensions on the northern border escalate.
The government is required to submit a new draft law in the coming months. Ultra-Orthodox parties, which are a key coalition partner of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hope to continue the system of exemptions.
Opponents, including key members of a mass protest movement against Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul, say the exemptions are unfair and must end.
Activist groups filed petitions last year to force the state to strike down the exemptions and subsidies for young ultra-Orthodox men who study full-time in religious institutions called yeshivas. In the past, attempts to overhaul the draft law to include ultra-Orthodox have drawn tens of thousands of community members to the streets in large, violent protests.
Currently:
— Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of blocking aid to Gaza in violation of a UN court order.
— Palestinian prime minister submits government’s resignation, a move that could open door to reforms.
— Israel vows to target Lebanon’s Hezbollah even if a cease-fire is reached with Hamas in Gaza.
— Air Force member has died after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in DC.
— Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
