Airstrike which killed dozens of civilians in Rafah was 'tragic mistake'": Benjamin Netanyahu

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the strike which killed scores of displaced Palestinians in Rafah was a "tragic mishap", amid growing international condemnation of the blast.

At least 45 people were killed according to the Hamas-run health ministry. NGOs in Rafah say they treated hundreds more for severe burns, fractures and shrapnel wounds.

Speaking in the Israeli parliament, Mr Netanyahu said it was vital that Israel took "every precaution possible" to protect civilians caught up in the fighting in Gaza.

But he insisted that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had used their "best efforts not to harm those uninvolved" in the conflict.

"In Rafah we already evacuated about one million non-combatant residents and despite our utmost effort not to harm non-combatants, something unfortunately went tragically wrong," Mr Netanyahu said.

"We are investigating the incident and will reach conclusions because this is our policy."

International organisations have lined up to condemn the strike, with the EU insisting that Israel respect a ruling by the International Court of Justice last week to halt strikes on Rafah.

The bloc's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, called Sunday's strike "horrifying".

Meanwhile the UN's human rights chief, Volker Turk, said the attack suggested that there had been "no apparent change in the methods and means of warfare used by Israel that have already led to so many civilian deaths".

Israel launched the Rafah attack just hours after Hamas launched its first missile attack on Tel Aviv in several months.

IDF officials said that the attack had killed two senior Hamas commanders, and that it was investigating the deaths of civilians in the area.

But the Palestinian Red Crescent said Sunday’s air strike targeted tents for displaced people near a UN facility in Tal al-Sultan, about 2km (1.2 miles) north-west of the centre of Rafah.

Videos from the scene in the Tal al-Sultan area on Sunday night showed a large explosion and intense fires burning.

Graphic footage showed a number of structures ablaze next to a banner saying “Kuwaiti Peace Camp '1'”, as well as first responders and bystanders carrying several bodies.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said on Monday that one of its facilities had received at least 28 dead people following the strike, including woman and children.

In a statement, the organisation said it had treated another 180 wounded Palestinians, with most suffering from serious shrapnel wounds, fractures, traumatic injuries and burns.

MSF rejected Israeli claims that the strike was precise, saying the "attack on a populated camp in a so-called ‘safe zone’ in Rafah shows the complete disregard for the lives of civilians in Gaza".

In a statement on Monday evening, the US called the images "heartbreaking", but insisted that Israel had a right to defend itself.

"Israel has a right to go after Hamas, and we understand this strike killed two senior Hamas terrorists who are responsible for attacks against Israeli civilians," a White House national security spokesperson said.

But they conceded that "Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians".

Israeli officials had spent much of Monday scrambling to find out what went wrong in Rafah. How did a “precision strike” using specialised munitions with “reduced warheads” result in a firestorm which killed dozens and injured scores?

Following last week’s ruling by the International Court of Justice, ordering Israel to halt any operations in the Rafah area that might inflict further harm on the Palestinian population, Israel knows that the eyes of the world are on it. It’s under enormous pressure to explain its actions.


 
This is their method to achieve their target initially and then simply say at the end that it was just a mistake.
 
Netanyahu vows to continue war amid air strike condemnation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war against Hamas amid international condemnation of an air strike that killed scores of Palestinians in Rafah on Sunday.

At least 45 people were killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, while hundreds more were treated for severe burns, fractures and shrapnel wounds.

Mr Netanyahu said the strike was a “tragic mishap” but added: “I don’t intend to end the war before every goal has been achieved.”

He said it was vital that Israel took "every precaution possible" to protect civilians, and insisted that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were using their "best efforts not to harm those uninvolved" in the conflict.

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday, at Algeria's request, to discuss the Rafah strike.

In a statement on Monday, UN secretary general António Guterres said the strike had "killed scores of innocent civilians who were only seeking shelter from this deadly conflict".

"There is no safe place in Gaza. This horror must stop," he said.

Mr Netanyahu, who was speaking in the Israeli parliament, was interrupted by occasional heckles from family members of hostages taken by Hamas during the 7 October attack, some of whom have been critical of him for failing to strike a deal for the return of their loved ones.

"In Rafah we already evacuated about one million non-combatant residents and despite our utmost effort not to harm non-combatants, something unfortunately went tragically wrong," he persisted.

"We are investigating the incident and will reach conclusions because this is our policy."

International organisations have lined up to condemn the strike, with the EU insisting that Israel respect a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last week to halt strikes on Rafah. The bloc's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, called Sunday's strike "horrifying".

Despite the ICJ ruling, Israel has pledged to continue with the invasion of Rafah, with officials insisting the ruling left room for the attack to comply with international law.

The UN's human rights chief, Volker Turk, said the attack suggested that there had been "no apparent change in the methods and means of warfare used by Israel that have already led to so many civilian deaths".

Israel launched Sunday's Rafah attack hours after Hamas's first missile attack on Tel Aviv in several months.

IDF officials said the attack on Rafah had killed two senior Hamas commanders, and that it was investigating the deaths of civilians in the area.

But the Palestinian Red Crescent said the air strike had targeted tents for displaced people near a UN facility in Tal al-Sultan, about 2km (1.2 miles) north-west of the centre of Rafah.

Videos from the scene in the Tal al-Sultan area on Sunday night showed a large explosion and intense fires burning.

Graphic footage showed a number of structures ablaze next to a banner saying “Kuwaiti Peace Camp '1'”, as well as first responders and bystanders carrying several bodies.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said on Monday that one of its facilities had received at least 28 dead people, including women and children, following the strike.

It said it had treated another 180 wounded Palestinians, with most suffering from serious shrapnel wounds, fractures, traumatic injuries and burns.

MSF rejected Israeli reports that the strike had been precise, saying the "attack on a populated camp in a so-called ‘safe zone’ in Rafah shows the complete disregard for the lives of civilians in Gaza".

The US called the images "heartbreaking" but insisted Israel had a right to defend itself.

"Israel has a right to go after Hamas, and we understand this strike killed two senior Hamas terrorists who are responsible for attacks against Israeli civilians," a White House national security spokesperson said.

But they conceded that "Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians".

Israeli officials had spent much of Monday scrambling to find out what went wrong in Rafah. Israel is under pressure to explain how a “precision strike” using specialised munitions with “reduced warheads” resulted in a firestorm which killed dozens and injured scores.

Top military officials, including Maj Gen Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi, the IDF’s advocate general, have promised a thorough investigation and a more detailed explanation is expected.

However, whether this incident marks a turning point in the campaign is another matter.

Mr Netanyahu said he remained committed to what he calls “total victory” in Rafah, so there is no sign that Sunday's disaster will change his mind.

Israel's military campaign in Gaza began after gunmen from Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people and taking 252 others back to Gaza as hostages.

More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war since then, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

BBC
 
This needs to stop. Enough has been done already. Hamas did something horrific, and Israel has taken retribution. This can't continue forever.
 
This needs to stop. Enough has been done already. Hamas did something horrific, and Israel has taken retribution. This can't continue forever.

Why not? They already killed 40,000 in response to Hamas counterstrikes against the IDF, what difference does a few dozen more make?
 
Why not? They already killed 40,000 in response to Hamas counterstrikes against the IDF, what difference does a few dozen more make?
Hamas's counterstrikes against the IDF? You mean what happened on the 7th of October last year, and what Hamas is doing till now to the hostages they captured that day?
 
Hamas's counterstrikes against the IDF? You mean what happened on the 7th of October last year, and what Hamas is doing till now to the hostages they captured that day?

Record number of palastanian children were in Israeli Jails before October 7th. But the ignorant will always be ignorant.
====

How Israel jails hundreds of Palestinians without charge​

In a family home in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, Yazen Alhasnat was sitting next to his mother rubbing sleep from his eyes.

The 17-year-old had been released from prison the night before, nearly five months after being arrested in a 4am Israeli military raid on the home.

Yazen had been held under "administrative detention" - a longstanding security policy, inherited from the British, that allows the Israeli state to imprison people indefinitely without charge, and without presenting any evidence against them.

"They have a secret file," Yazen said. "They don't tell you what's in it."

He was back at home because he was among the 180 Palestinian children and women released from prison by Israel in the recent exchange for hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

But at the same time the Palestinian prisoners were being released, Israel was detaining people at its highest rate in years. In the weeks since 7 October, the number of people in administrative detention - already at a 30-year high of 1,300 - has shot up to more than 2,800.

Israeli soldiers detain a young boy during demonstrations in Hebron, 2022. Israel has been accused of heavy-handed tactics.

When Yazen was released, his family was told not to publicly celebrate in any way or to talk to the media. The same instructions were given to the families of two other teenagers who spoke to the BBC about their experiences. But all three families said they wanted to highlight the issue of administrative detention.

Israel says that its use of the policy is compliant with international law and a necessary preventative measure to combat terrorism. Maurice Hirsch, a former director of military prosecutions for the West Bank, from 2013 to 2016, told the BBC that Israel was "not only meeting international law but far surpassing it", by allowing detainees to appeal and ensuring that their detentions were reviewed every six months.

But human rights groups say Israel's expansive use of the measure is an abuse of a security law not designed to be employed at such scale, and that detainees cannot effectively defend themselves, or appeal, because they have no access to the evidence against them.

"Under international law, administrative detention should be a rare exception," said Jessica Montell, the executive director of HaMoked, an Israeli human rights organisation that monitors detention of Palestinians.

"You are supposed to use it when there is a present danger and no other way to prevent that danger than detaining someone. But it is clear Israel is not using it that way. It is detaining hundreds, thousands of people, without charge, and using administrative detention to shield itself from scrutiny."

Musa Aloridat in his bedroom in Jericho, where Israeli soldiers fired a bullet into the wardrobe as they raided the house
Image caption,Musa Aloridat in his bedroom in Jericho, where Israeli soldiers fired a bullet into the wardrobe as they raided the house

Palestinians have been subject to administrative detention in this region since 1945, first under the British Mandate and then in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The law has in some very rare instances been used against Israeli settlers, but it is overwhelmingly used to detain West Bank Palestinians, including children.

Administrative detainees are granted a hearing - at a military court, in front of an Israeli military judge - but the state is not required to disclose any of its evidence to the detainees or their lawyers. The detainees can then be sentenced to up to six months. But the six months can be extended indefinitely by the military court, meaning that administrative detainees have no real idea at any point how long they are going to be locked up.

"What really gets to you is the uncertainty," Yazen said, sitting in his living room. "Will you finish your six months and leave? Or will you be extended for a year, for two years?"

The detainees can mount an appeal, all the way up to Israel's Supreme Court, but with no access to the evidence against them, they have nothing to base it on. Palestinians who are formally tried in the military courts have more access to evidence, but the courts boast a roughly 99% conviction rate.

"Defending Palestinians in the military courts is an almost impossible task," said Jerusalem-based defence lawyer Maher Hanna.

"The entire system is designed to limit a Palestinian's capacity to defend himself. It imposes harsh constraints on the defence and relieves the state prosecutor of the burden of proof."

Israel's use of the policy in the West Bank had "crossed all lines - red, green, every colour", Yazen's mother Sadiah said.

"We are living under a parallel system of justice."

 
Record number of palastanian children were in Israeli Jails before October 7th. But the ignorant will always be ignorant.

Disgusting to the core! Now you tell us that what Hamas did is far worse than what that article says Israel has been doing by imprisoning those kids. Will you?
 
  • Gaza’s Health Ministry says 46 people have been killed and 110 injured across Gaza in the latest 24-hour reporting period
  • Israel’s army continues to pound the southern city of Rafah after its forces on Sunday night bombed a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians in a designated safe zone and killed 45 people
source: AL JAZEERA
 
Some of the videos are too much.

Literal beheaded babies being pulled from the ground.

Not fake videos that Biden lied about seeing.

Mother's and father's pulling their decapitated kids from rubble.

There was one photo of a dead child whose fingers were stubbs as a result of trying to dig itself from rubble.

The world hasn't seen such evil in its history.
 
Some of the videos are too much.

Literal beheaded babies being pulled from the ground.

Not fake videos that Biden lied about seeing.

Mother's and father's pulling their decapitated kids from rubble.

There was one photo of a dead child whose fingers were stubbs as a result of trying to dig itself from rubble.

The world hasn't seen such evil in its history.
The curse of whole humanity be on the perpetrators!
 
^^^^
Just to add that unless you deal with the root cause, i.e. why the October attacks occurred, then you'll keep seeing such attacks and round and round we go with deaths on both sides... Although, and I think you will agree, that the genocide being committed currently is off the scale.
 
I think pretty much every single poster condemned the attacks at the time.
You need to check for yourself because currently it looks like you're just trying to score points
You're kidding, right? I posted multiple horrific videos of Hamas torturing hostages that would make anyone have a mental breakdown. It was in that thread about Indian posters supporting Israel. Not a single Pakistani poster said a word against those videos and Hamas.​
 
Yes. Any innocent civilian that's killed, I Condemn it.
Good! This is the first time you are condemning what Hamas did in October last year. Israel is a blood thirsty savage that respects no international law or resolution, nor do they care about any type of human rights. What exactly were those animals of Hamas thinking when they decided to do what they did in October last year? I'm pretty sure they knew what the consequences of their actions would be, and yet they didn't think even once about the Palestinians including children and babies who would have to bear Israel's brunt.​
 
Global protests condemn Israel’s attack on Rafah

Protesters around the world have condemned Israel for its ongoing attacks on Rafah in southern Gaza, which have killed dozens of displaced Palestinians since the ICJ ordered Israel to halt its assault.

people in Paris, Lebanon, USA, Spain and other countries around the world staged massive rallies to condemn the apartheid regime.

Source: Al Jazeera
 
Good! This is the first time you are condemning what Hamas did in October last year. Israel is a blood thirsty savage that respects no international law or resolution, nor do they care about any type of human rights. What exactly were those animals of Hamas thinking when they decided to do what they did in October last year? I'm pretty sure they knew what the consequences of their actions would be, and yet they didn't think even once about the Palestinians including children and babies who would have to bear Israel's brunt.​

Are you saying if Hamas didn't attack on 7th October then everything was going to be normal for the Palastanians?

They have been living in a open air prison for decades. With zero human rights, and virtually no freedom.
 
Are you saying if Hamas didn't attack on 7th October then everything was going to be normal for the Palastanians?

They have been living in a open air prison for decades. With zero human rights, and virtually no freedom.
I am amazed why people deliberatly act so naive like before 7th october Israel was a saint. Simply disgusting
 
You're kidding, right? I posted multiple horrific videos of Hamas torturing hostages that would make anyone have a mental breakdown. It was in that thread about Indian posters supporting Israel. Not a single Pakistani poster said a word against those videos and Hamas.​
Because any right minded person would see that video as a deflection.
I think you and certain other posters have a completely different view of posters here.
You think they don't shed a tear for those being tortured and in another thread about Osama bin Laden some posters claim that these posters support terrorism and use that argument 'one man's terrorism is another man's freedom fighter'.

The reality is that no body condones murder or slaying of innocent lives. But unless you delve deeper in to the root cause you won't see any changes.

Take Saddam Hussein as an example. The man was a dictator but was supported by the west against Iran (Iraq/Iran War). When he became too big for his own boots, look what happened to him and hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi's?
The point is that people are allowed to question events just like you have a right to question whats happening in Palestine and delve in to the history. But this does not detract from the fact that an atrocity occurred in October and an even bigger atrocity is occurring right now.
 
Yes, I’m going to. It’s your turn now.

Killing civilians is a crime against humanity regardless of whether the pepetrators are Muslim or Jewish. But if you are going to insist this barbarity started with Hamas striking israel unprovoked, then you are aiding the genocide.
 
Killing civilians is a crime against humanity regardless of whether the pepetrators are Muslim or Jewish. But if you are going to insist this barbarity started with Hamas striking israel unprovoked, then you are aiding the genocide.
I’m not the one who slaughtered, raped 1200 civilians on 7th October, last year. A certain bunch of animals did it, which is why they are known as animals around the world.​
 
Because any right minded person would see that video as a deflection.
Yea, videos that would make any civilised human being hang his/her head in shame was used by me a deflection.

So much love and sympathy for Palestinians. Yet, your own army did what they did to your own countrymen in East Pakistan during Operation Searchlight in 1971.​
 
Yea, videos that would make any civilised human being hang his/her head in shame was used by me a deflection.

So much love and sympathy for Palestinians. Yet, your own army did what they did to your own countrymen in East Pakistan during Operation Searchlight in 1971.​
My man countering deflecting accusation by deflecting again by bringing 1971 event that has nothing to do with Gaza.

Hilariously pathetic.
 
Not deflection, but facts. Facts that no one can deny. The country that state sponsored a genocide and raping spree, having raped 200,000 to 300,000 women and slaughtered 3 million people in East Pakistan is now shedding crocodile tears for Palestine.​
Most on this forum were not born in 1971 and has nothing to do with those event.

Hindutva has a habit of blaming every unborn Muslim after Mughals empire ended.

As I said, hilariously pathetic.
 
Most on this forum were not born in 1971 and has nothing to do with those event.

Hindutva has a habit of blaming every unborn Muslim after Mughals empire ended.

As I said, hilariously pathetic.
Most of us weren’t born in 1948 either when Israel was formed. Yet it doesn’t stop certain hypocrites from going back in history till then to justify their crocodile tears. Booo’Hoo …. continue those crocodile tears.
 
Most of us weren’t born in 1948 either when Israel was formed. Yet it doesn’t stop certain hypocrites from going back in history till then to justify their crocodile tears. Booo’Hoo …. continue those crocodile tears.
You are embarrassing yourself and regressing to display child like behavior since you are unable to justify your support for the genocide as a Hindutva.

It’s 2024 and the genocide is taking place in 2024.

Getting exponentially hilariously pathetic.
 
Most of us weren’t born in 1948 either when Israel was formed. Yet it doesn’t stop certain hypocrites from going back in history till then to justify their crocodile tears. Booo’Hoo …. continue those crocodile tears.
One day I hope you will sit and ponder why you spent so much time point scoring about people's reactions to dead kids.

What a waste of a life.
 
You are embarrassing yourself and regressing to display child like behavior since you are unable to justify your support for the genocide as a Hindutva.

It’s 2024 and the genocide is taking place in 2024.

Getting exponentially hilariously pathetic.
And yet the likes of you take no time to go into any point in history to justify your stance for Hama … err, I mean Palestine? It’s you who can’t justify Operation Searchlight done by your country, and yet you shed crocodile tears for Palestine. The 200,000-300,000 women raped and 3 million people slaughtered by your army were Muslims as well, but most of all your own countrymen. And now the same country is shedding crocodile tears for Palestine.​
 
And yet the likes of you take no time to go into any point in history to justify your stance for Hama … err, I mean Palestine? It’s you who can’t justify Operation Searchlight done by your country, and yet you shed crocodile tears for Palestine. The 200,000-300,000 women raped and 3 million people slaughtered by your army were Muslims as well, but most of all your own countrymen. And now the same country is shedding crocodile tears for Palestine.​
I never had any discussion with you regarding 1971 Bangladesh independence. I am at 204 post mark.

Stop digging that hole, you are already neck deep.
 
When Satan in human form himself says that it was a “mistake”….
 
I never had any discussion with you regarding 1971 Bangladesh independence. I am at 204 post mark.

Stop digging that hole, you are already neck deep.
Most of my posts have been deleted. No point in me replying further.
 
And yet the likes of you take no time to go into any point in history to justify your stance for Hama … err, I mean Palestine? It’s you who can’t justify Operation Searchlight done by your country, and yet you shed crocodile tears for Palestine. The 200,000-300,000 women raped and 3 million people slaughtered by your army were Muslims as well, but most of all your own countrymen. And now the same country is shedding crocodile tears for Palestine.​
And? Most Pakistanis are appalled by the actions in Bangladesh. What do you want us to do invent a time machine and go back to stop them?

Coming closer to home your troops in Kashmir make Hamas look like children. It's been recognised by numerous international bodies that India used rape as a tool of war in Kashmir. But the actions of your troops give you sick kicks right? You are happy with them.

But here you are ranting and raving for days because you think people being sad about Palestinian kids is crocodile tears.

Grade A hypocrite.
 
And? Most Pakistanis are appalled by the actions in Bangladesh. What do you want us to do invent a time machine and go back to stop them?

Coming closer to home your troops in Kashmir make Hamas look like children. It's been recognised by numerous international bodies that India used rape as a tool of war in Kashmir. But the actions of your troops give you sick kicks right? You are happy with them.

But here you are ranting and raving for days because you think people being sad about Palestinian kids is crocodile tears.

Grade A hypocrite.
No need to discuss, this tactics is applied by Hindutva when they are unable to defend genocide.

Pure deflection on their part. Just call them out.
 
No need to discuss, this tactics is applied by Hindutva when they are unable to defend genocide.

Pure deflection on their part.
I wonder wth they gain from it?

They have a weird fetish with killing kids.

I've seen it all "crocodile tears"... "got what's coming to them" "what goes around comes around"

These types of statements by people who live and breathe in normal society...about the death of small children.

Absolute barbarians.
 
Most of us weren’t born in 1948 either when Israel was formed. Yet it doesn’t stop certain hypocrites from going back in history till then to justify their crocodile tears. Booo’Hoo …. continue those crocodile tears.

Atleast bringing up 76 years of brutal and illegal occupation is consistent with the timeline of the oppression, than bringing out of context October 7th. Your reaction in your last few posts has been appalling.
 
Most of my posts have been deleted. No point in me replying further.

You have really dug yourself into a hole here and look like a right and this is a gutless excuse to try and run away from this.
 

Israeli tanks reach central Rafah as strikes continue​

Israeli forces have reportedly reached the centre of the southern Gaza city of Rafah and seized a strategically important hill overlooking the nearby border with Egypt.

Witnesses and local journalists said tanks were stationed at al-Awda roundabout, which is considered a key landmark.
They also said tanks were on Zoroub Hill, effectively giving Israel control of the Philadelphi Corridor - a narrow strip of land running along the border to the sea.

The Israeli military said its troops were continuing activities against "terror targets" in Rafah, three weeks after it launched the ground operation there.

Western areas of the city also came under intense bombardment overnight, residents said, despite international condemnation of an Israeli air strike and a resulting fire on Sunday that killed dozens of Palestinians at a tented camp for displaced people.

The Israeli military said it was investigating the possibility that the fire was caused by the explosion of weapons stored by Hamas in the vicinity.

It also denied reports from local health and emergency services officials on Tuesday afternoon that tank shells had hit another camp in al-Mawasi, on the coast west of Rafah, killing at least 21 people.

Reuters news agency cited local health officials as saying the blast occurred after Israeli tank shells hit a cluster of tents in al-Mawasi on Tuesday. An official in the Hamas-run civil defence force also told AFP there had been a deadly Israeli strike on tents.

Videos posted to social media and analysed by BBC Verify showed multiple people with serious injuries, some lying motionless on the ground, near tents and other temporary structures.

There was no clear sign of a blast zone or crater, making it impossible to ascertain the cause of the incident. The location - verified through reference to surrounding buildings - is between Rafah and al-Mawasi, and lies south of the IDF's designated humanitarian zone.

The IDF said in a statement: "Contrary to the reports from the last few hours, the IDF did not strike in the humanitarian area in al-Mawasi."

Israel has insisted that victory in its seven-month war with Hamas in Gaza is impossible without taking Rafah and rejected warnings that it could have catastrophic humanitarian consequences.

The UN says around a million people have now fled the fighting in Rafah, but several hundred thousand more could still be sheltering there.

 
OIC Condemns the Heinous Massacre of Civilians in the City of Rafah and Calls on the UN Security Council to Assume its Responsibilities

OIC Condemns the Heinous Massacre of Civilians in the City of Rafah and Calls on the UN Security Council to Assume its Responsibilities

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation strongly condemned the heinous massacre perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians after bombing a camp crowded with thousands of displaced people in the city of Rafah, killing about forty citizens and injuring dozens of others, mostly women and children.

The OIC considered this act a war crime, a crime against humanity, and state-organized terrorism, for which the perpetrator must be held accountable and responsible in accordance with international criminal law.

The Secretary-General held the Israeli occupation accountable for the consequences of its crimes, terrorist practices, and brutal attacks against the Palestinian people, which are inconsistent with all human values and constitute a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.

The OIC renewed its call on the international community, especially the UN Security Council, to assume its responsibilities in compelling Israel, to implement the orders of the International Court of Justice to stop this Israeli aggression immediately, open the Rafah crossing, to allow access, by land, sea and air, of humanitarian aid, into the Gaza Strip, end this brutal Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, which continues since the seventh of last October, leading to the martyrdom of about 36,000 Palestinian citizens, and the injury of about 81,000 others, and ensure international protection for the Palestinian people.

SOURCE: https://new.oic-oci.org/SitePages/NewsDetail.aspx?Item=4716
 
Israel's operation in Rafah doesn't cross US red lines - White House

The US does not believe Israel has launched a full-scale invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza, White House spokesman John Kirby has said.

He spoke hours after Israeli forces reached the centre of the city and reportedly seized a strategically important hill overlooking the nearby border with Egypt.

US President Joe Biden said this month he would limit weapons supplies to Israel if it entered the “population centres” of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are still believed to be sheltering.

Mr Kirby was also questioned about an Israeli strike and a resulting fire that killed at least 45 Palestinians – many of them women, children, or elderly – at a camp for displaced people on Sunday.

Israel has said the strike targeted and killed two senior Hamas officials, and that it believes the fire could have been caused by an explosion at a Hamas weapons store nearby.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Kirby described images from the aftermath of the strike as "heartbreaking" and "horrific".

“There should be no innocent life lost here as a result of this conflict," he added.

The US state department said it was watching closely for the Israeli military to conduct a quick and thorough investigation into the strike.

Pressed by BBC correspondent Tom Bateman on whether previous such investigations had led to accountability, state department spokesman Matthew Miller declined to name specific cases.

“You cannot reach a conclusion about the results of these investigations in the middle of a conflict,” he said.

When the White House spokesman was asked whether the strike had violated the limits previously set by President Biden, he said he had "no policy changes to speak to".

“We don't support, we won't support a major ground operation in Rafah,” Mr Kirby said.

“The president said that, should that occur, then it might make him have to make different decisions in terms of support.

“We haven't seen that happen at this point. We have not seen them smash into Rafah.

"We have not seen them go in with large units, large numbers of troops, in columns and formations in some sort of co-ordinated manoeuvre against multiple targets on the ground."

Israel has insisted it will not be able to achieve victory in its seven-month war against Hamas in Gaza without taking Rafah and rejected warnings of catastrophic humanitarian consequences.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) first began what it called “targeted” ground operations against Hamas fighters and infrastructure in the east of Rafah on 6 May.

Since then, tanks and troops have gradually pushed into built-up eastern and central areas while also moving northwards along the 13km (8-mile) border with Egypt.

Speaking to CNN on 8 May, President Biden said he had made it clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, to deal with that problem”.

He said he had not suspended the supply of weapons at that point because Israel had not yet “gone into the population centres” in Rafah and that its operations had been “right on the border”.

The president is facing growing calls at home to put greater pressure on the Israeli government to ensure everything is done to minimise the humanitarian impact of the conflict.

Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, who visited Gaza in January, told the Washington Post: “The escalating civilian death toll and deepening humanitarian catastrophe make clear that the Biden administration should pause additional offensive military assistance to the Netanyahu government until we know that all the president’s requests, including with respect to Rafah and the urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance, will be respected.”

In an address to the Israeli parliament on Monday, Mr Netanyahu said Sunday's strike had been a "tragic mishap" but vowed to continue with the Rafah operation.

Describing the aftermath of the strike, Mohammad al-Mughayyir, an official with Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defence agency, was quoted as saying by AFP news agency: "We saw charred bodies and dismembered limbs. We also saw cases of amputations, wounded children women, and the elderly.”

An eyewitness named Muhannad, himself a displaced resident of Gaza, described the air strike: "When we heard the sound the sky suddenly lit up."

Hamad, another man at the scene, told AFP: "When these rockets fall on a tower block there are dozens of martyrs, so what about when they are tents?"

The attack has drawn protests from regional governments, including Egypt and Qatar who have acted as mediators in the conflict, as well as Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Egypt said the strike was part of a “systematic policy” intended to make Gaza “uninhabitable” and Qatar described it as a "dangerous violation of international law" that could “complicate ongoing mediation efforts".

Jordan accused Israel of "ongoing war crimes", while Saudi Arabia condemned the “continued massacres", and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed "to hold these barbarians and murderers accountable".

The UN has said around a million people have now fled the fighting in Rafah but that several hundred thousand more could still be sheltering there.

Residents of the city reported heavy bombardment of western districts overnight on Monday, and on Tuesday the IDF said it was continuing operations against "terror targets".

Witnesses said Israeli tanks were stationed at al-Awda roundabout, a key landmark and the location of several major banks and government institutions.

An eyewitness told the BBC that Israeli soldiers had taken up position on top of a building overlooking the area and started shooting at any movement. The allegation could not be independently verified.

Speaking from Rafah on Tuesday, Sam Rose, a spokesman for UNRWA, the UN’s humanitarian agency for Palestinian refugees, told BBC News: "What we've witnessed over the past 24 hours is an intensification of the bombardments in Rafah, and military operations [which are] pushing further west into the Tal al-Sultan district of the city.

"That includes the tented camp that was hit a couple of nights ago. It also includes a large UNRWA logistics base and the UNRWA Health Centre which is essentially the beating heart of the humanitarian operation in Rafah, and has been for several months.

"These parts of the city have largely emptied out over the past 24 hours. So real concern, real numbness, real fear amongst the population right now."

The Israeli military has denied reports on Tuesday that its tank shells hit another tent camp in al-Mawasi, on the coast west of Rafah, which local officials said had killed at least 21 people.

Videos of the incident posted to social media and analysed by BBC Verify showed multiple people with serious injuries.

There was no clear sign of a blast zone or crater, making it impossible to ascertain the cause of the incident. The location - verified through reference to surrounding buildings - lies south of the Israeli military's designated humanitarian zone.

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to the group's cross-border attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 252 others were taken hostage.

At least 36,090 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

BBC
 
3 Israeli soldiers have been killed in a booby trapped building in Rafah, taking the overall death toll to 291. The Israelis aren't getting off lightly either.

Hamas are even re-emerging in Northern Gaza where IDF previously conducted operations.

Much of the tunnel structures remain intact. Still haven't found Sinwar or Deif.

Despite Israel's chest thumping about having the most powerful military in the Middle East, the best intelligency agency etc they are nowhere near close to the total victory they keep promising.
 
3 Israeli soldiers have been killed in a booby trapped building in Rafah, taking the overall death toll to 291. The Israelis aren't getting off lightly either.

Hamas are even re-emerging in Northern Gaza where IDF previously conducted operations.

Much of the tunnel structures remain intact. Still haven't found Sinwar or Deif.

Despite Israel's chest thumping about having the most powerful military in the Middle East, the best intelligency agency etc they are nowhere near close to the total victory they keep promising.
Their total victory ambitions is a sham to try and get permission to chase shadows forever.

Their real goal is the decimation of Palestinians from top to bottom. They have ended the family trees of the 1000s through the murder of defenceless children, created a sense of panic and distrust, so there is no cohesion or ability to collectively come together for the Palestinians in future and eradicated the engineers, doctors and scientists who could lead a post-war rebuild.
 
Benjamin Netanyahu has lost credibility among his people, and the USA is also unlikely to continue backing him. Soon, he will likely be discarded
 
Netanyahu will soon be gone. But let's not be mistaken, The pro israeli Extremists Torch Bearers are in plenty. Unfortunately the struggle for the Palastanians will continue.
 
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Israel says Gaza offensive likely to last another 7 months as tanks probe Rafah

Israel has sent tanks on raids into Rafah and said its military campaign on Hamas in Gaza will likely continue all year, after Washington said the Rafah assault did not amount to a major ground operation that would trigger a change in US policy, Reuters reports.

Rafah residents said the tanks had pushed into Tel Al-Sultan in western Rafah and Yibna and near Shaboura in the centre before retreating towards a buffer zone on the border with Egypt, rather than staying put elsewhere.

Israel said its military controlled three-quarters of the buffer zone on the Egyptian border and aimed to control all of it to prevent Hamas smuggling in weapons.

Fighting in Gaza would continue throughout 2024 at least, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi added, signalling that Israel was not ready to end the fighting as demanded by Hamas, as part of a deal that would see the exchange of hostages it holds for Palestinian prisoners

Source: Reuters
 
Israel's operation in Rafah doesn't cross US red lines - White House

The US does not believe Israel has launched a full-scale invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza, White House spokesman John Kirby has said.

He spoke hours after Israeli forces reached the centre of the city and reportedly seized a strategically important hill overlooking the nearby border with Egypt.

US President Joe Biden said this month he would limit weapons supplies to Israel if it entered the “population centres” of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are still believed to be sheltering.

Mr Kirby was also questioned about an Israeli strike and a resulting fire that killed at least 45 Palestinians – many of them women, children, or elderly – at a camp for displaced people on Sunday.

Israel has said the strike targeted and killed two senior Hamas officials, and that it believes the fire could have been caused by an explosion at a Hamas weapons store nearby.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Kirby described images from the aftermath of the strike as "heartbreaking" and "horrific".

“There should be no innocent life lost here as a result of this conflict," he added.

The US state department said it was watching closely for the Israeli military to conduct a quick and thorough investigation into the strike.

Pressed by BBC correspondent Tom Bateman on whether previous such investigations had led to accountability, state department spokesman Matthew Miller declined to name specific cases.

“You cannot reach a conclusion about the results of these investigations in the middle of a conflict,” he said.

When the White House spokesman was asked whether the strike had violated the limits previously set by President Biden, he said he had "no policy changes to speak to".

“We don't support, we won't support a major ground operation in Rafah,” Mr Kirby said.

“The president said that, should that occur, then it might make him have to make different decisions in terms of support.

“We haven't seen that happen at this point. We have not seen them smash into Rafah.

"We have not seen them go in with large units, large numbers of troops, in columns and formations in some sort of co-ordinated manoeuvre against multiple targets on the ground."

Israel has insisted it will not be able to achieve victory in its seven-month war against Hamas in Gaza without taking Rafah and rejected warnings of catastrophic humanitarian consequences.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) first began what it called “targeted” ground operations against Hamas fighters and infrastructure in the east of Rafah on 6 May.

Since then, tanks and troops have gradually pushed into built-up eastern and central areas while also moving northwards along the 13km (8-mile) border with Egypt.

Speaking to CNN on 8 May, President Biden said he had made it clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, to deal with that problem”.

He said he had not suspended the supply of weapons at that point because Israel had not yet “gone into the population centres” in Rafah and that its operations had been “right on the border”.

The president is facing growing calls at home to put greater pressure on the Israeli government to ensure everything is done to minimise the humanitarian impact of the conflict.

Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, who visited Gaza in January, told the Washington Post: “The escalating civilian death toll and deepening humanitarian catastrophe make clear that the Biden administration should pause additional offensive military assistance to the Netanyahu government until we know that all the president’s requests, including with respect to Rafah and the urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance, will be respected.”

In an address to the Israeli parliament on Monday, Mr Netanyahu said Sunday's strike had been a "tragic mishap" but vowed to continue with the Rafah operation.

Describing the aftermath of the strike, Mohammad al-Mughayyir, an official with Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defence agency, was quoted as saying by AFP news agency: "We saw charred bodies and dismembered limbs. We also saw cases of amputations, wounded children women, and the elderly.”

An eyewitness named Muhannad, himself a displaced resident of Gaza, described the air strike: "When we heard the sound the sky suddenly lit up."

Hamad, another man at the scene, told AFP: "When these rockets fall on a tower block there are dozens of martyrs, so what about when they are tents?"

The attack has drawn protests from regional governments, including Egypt and Qatar who have acted as mediators in the conflict, as well as Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Egypt said the strike was part of a “systematic policy” intended to make Gaza “uninhabitable” and Qatar described it as a "dangerous violation of international law" that could “complicate ongoing mediation efforts".

Jordan accused Israel of "ongoing war crimes", while Saudi Arabia condemned the “continued massacres", and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed "to hold these barbarians and murderers accountable".

The UN has said around a million people have now fled the fighting in Rafah but that several hundred thousand more could still be sheltering there.

Residents of the city reported heavy bombardment of western districts overnight on Monday, and on Tuesday the IDF said it was continuing operations against "terror targets".

Witnesses said Israeli tanks were stationed at al-Awda roundabout, a key landmark and the location of several major banks and government institutions.

An eyewitness told the BBC that Israeli soldiers had taken up position on top of a building overlooking the area and started shooting at any movement. The allegation could not be independently verified.

Speaking from Rafah on Tuesday, Sam Rose, a spokesman for UNRWA, the UN’s humanitarian agency for Palestinian refugees, told BBC News: "What we've witnessed over the past 24 hours is an intensification of the bombardments in Rafah, and military operations [which are] pushing further west into the Tal al-Sultan district of the city.

"That includes the tented camp that was hit a couple of nights ago. It also includes a large UNRWA logistics base and the UNRWA Health Centre which is essentially the beating heart of the humanitarian operation in Rafah, and has been for several months.

"These parts of the city have largely emptied out over the past 24 hours. So real concern, real numbness, real fear amongst the population right now."

The Israeli military has denied reports on Tuesday that its tank shells hit another tent camp in al-Mawasi, on the coast west of Rafah, which local officials said had killed at least 21 people.

Videos of the incident posted to social media and analysed by BBC Verify showed multiple people with serious injuries.

There was no clear sign of a blast zone or crater, making it impossible to ascertain the cause of the incident. The location - verified through reference to surrounding buildings - lies south of the Israeli military's designated humanitarian zone.

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to the group's cross-border attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 252 others were taken hostage.

At least 36,090 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

BBC
Insane , US should just shut its mouth on any Human rights issue from now onwards.
 
Yet we still have vermin who have nothing to do with Israel talking about “but but what about the 10 Israelis killed by xyz… 😮 🤡 🤡 “ while the Yahud pile on thousands upon thousands of bodies since ‘48.

They lied about their own babies, confirmed by every news source, but now they actually went ahead and did what they were lying about to babies in a safe zone.

It’s ironic how Pharaoh was the one butchering their infants and God saved them, but now they have literally taken that role from Pharaoh… doing what he did to their children. It’s chilling.
 
Yet we still have vermin who have nothing to do with Israel talking about “but but what about the 10 Israelis killed by xyz… 😮 🤡 🤡 “ while the Yahud pile on thousands upon thousands of bodies since ‘48.

They lied about their own babies, confirmed by every news source, but now they actually went ahead and did what they were lying about to babies in a safe zone.

It’s ironic how Pharaoh was the one butchering their infants and God saved them, but now they have literally taken that role from Pharaoh… doing what he did to their children. It’s chilling.
Direct your anger to US -canada government that is actually blocking every resolution,Indian government has backed two state solution in UN.
 
Yet we still have vermin who have nothing to do with Israel talking about “but but what about the 10 Israelis killed by xyz… 😮 🤡 🤡 “ while the Yahud pile on thousands upon thousands of bodies since ‘48.

They lied about their own babies, confirmed by every news source, but now they actually went ahead and did what they were lying about to babies in a safe zone.

It’s ironic how Pharaoh was the one butchering their infants and God saved them, but now they have literally taken that role from Pharaoh… doing what he did to their children. It’s chilling.
I have been on many marches in the UK and most of the time there is a massive Jewish contingent.

Let's not paint everyone with the same brush.

These people do not represent Judaism
They are backed by Christian Zionists and Arab Muslim Zionists.

There are Christian Palestinians being killed and perhaps some Muslim IDF soldiers pulling the trigger too.

It is a complex situation
 
Erdogan called Netanyahu a vampire with a psychiatric problem

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashes out at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him a “psychopath” and a “vampire that feeds on blood,” following Israeli airstrikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah that triggered a deadly fire in a camp for displaced people, The Times of Israel reports.

Israel has lamented the “tragic mishap” and said its strike on Hamas targets possibly ignited a hidden store of terror munitions that caused the fire.

In a speech to legislators from his ruling party, Erdogan holds the United States and European nations responsible for the deaths while also criticizing the Islamic Cooperation Organization for failing to take joint action against Israel.

“Oh, the American state, this blood is on your hands also. You are responsible for this genocide at least as much as Israel. Oh, the heads of state and government of Europe, you are also a party to Israel’s genocide, this barbarism, this vampire-like act of Israel, because you remained silent,” Erdogan says.


 
Watching these horrific deaths of innocent civilians esp children for not just months but since I was born in the not so looking holy land has become a implanted sadness & anger . It’s impossible to comprehend the reality of suffering for these people. It’s even more to understand their patience & bravery .

There have been evil regimes , evil rulers , evil nations , evil empires etc but never such a small territory committing evil in such methods without the world unable to intervene in any meaningful way .

This is why Israel or Zionism is scary . It’s able to defy all global institutions and scare all nations , perhaps not Iran as much but it applies to them too , in not to coming to the rescue of such people in any military way . Reason is simple , Zionists control modern western civilisation, through banking , political control, gloabal institutions . They have the money & have ensured the west attained the most powerful military machines in history. With the west being their weapon of fear , they have also managed to control most nations in the other continents. Only Russia , China , Iran & a few others remain fully independent.

Israel & Zionism is currently showing the world , the time has come to shift power from all to Israel . UN , ICJ or anyone are powerless. The more anyone criticised Israel , the more them kill in even more imorale ways .

Messianic Zionism makes other called extremists Disney characters, Bin Laden is Mickey Mouse compared to these nut jobs . They have cows ready to sacrifice so they can build their temple after knocking down Al-Aqsa.

They arrived into the holy land because a holy book tells them this is their god given land . It tells them they are gods chosen people, both they have in acted . Only thing left is to bring their messiah to rule the world , after Armageddon (it won’t effect the holy land ).

We are chilling at the cricket with family eating & enjoying life . Zionists are working other plans for us too .

If someone or some don’t stop these satanic nutters , Gaza is one day , in a year or ten …. coming to a town near you . . .
 
Watching these horrific deaths of innocent civilians esp children for not just months but since I was born in the not so looking holy land has become a implanted sadness & anger . It’s impossible to comprehend the reality of suffering for these people. It’s even more to understand their patience & bravery .

There have been evil regimes , evil rulers , evil nations , evil empires etc but never such a small territory committing evil in such methods without the world unable to intervene in any meaningful way .

This is why Israel or Zionism is scary . It’s able to defy all global institutions and scare all nations , perhaps not Iran as much but it applies to them too , in not to coming to the rescue of such people in any military way . Reason is simple , Zionists control modern western civilisation, through banking , political control, gloabal institutions . They have the money & have ensured the west attained the most powerful military machines in history. With the west being their weapon of fear , they have also managed to control most nations in the other continents. Only Russia , China , Iran & a few others remain fully independent.

Israel & Zionism is currently showing the world , the time has come to shift power from all to Israel . UN , ICJ or anyone are powerless. The more anyone criticised Israel , the more them kill in even more imorale ways .

Messianic Zionism makes other called extremists Disney characters, Bin Laden is Mickey Mouse compared to these nut jobs . They have cows ready to sacrifice so they can build their temple after knocking down Al-Aqsa.

They arrived into the holy land because a holy book tells them this is their god given land . It tells them they are gods chosen people, both they have in acted . Only thing left is to bring their messiah to rule the world , after Armageddon (it won’t effect the holy land ).

We are chilling at the cricket with family eating & enjoying life . Zionists are working other plans for us too .

If someone or some don’t stop these satanic nutters , Gaza is one day , in a year or ten …. coming to a town near you . . .

Even your holy book also tells them to take over the holy land and not turn their backs.

Can you tell me what is claim of Muslims over Al Aqsa? Is it factual or is it from a story from your scriptures?
 
Even your holy book also tells them to take over the holy land and not turn their backs.

Can you tell me what is claim of Muslims over Al Aqsa? Is it factual or is it from a story from your scriptures?

There was no order to take over .

Islam believes Jerusalem is holy due to history of prophets same as Christianity & Judaism . The eastern Roman Empire was attacking Muslims who were very small in number , they fought back against them & also against the Parisians conquering both within a few decades of the first follower of the prophet (pbuh) . Both Jews & Christians lived with Muslims in amazing conditions .

There was no Temple when Al-aqsa was built . Actually there is evidence the temple originally bulit by Soleman was in a different location .

Whatever the various religious views , never in history has there been a sustained & deliberate effort to bring forth the end of days . This is the key point & cause for concern for all . Why should a billion Hindus in India die in a global nuclear war because of messianic Zionism ?
 
There was no order to take over .

Islam believes Jerusalem is holy due to history of prophets same as Christianity & Judaism . The eastern Roman Empire was attacking Muslims who were very small in number , they fought back against them & also against the Parisians conquering both within a few decades of the first follower of the prophet (pbuh) . Both Jews & Christians lived with Muslims in amazing conditions .

There was no Temple when Al-aqsa was built . Actually there is evidence the temple originally bulit by Soleman was in a different location .

Whatever the various religious views , never in history has there been a sustained & deliberate effort to bring forth the end of days . This is the key point & cause for concern for all . Why should a billion Hindus in India die in a global nuclear war because of messianic Zionism ?
Hilarious.

Romans and Persians were attacking Muslims? WHere do you get this info? :ROFLMAO:

I am asking again, what is the claim of Muslims over AL Aqsa and what is the story. I want to hear from you.

Regarding Prophets you are talking, they are all Jewish Prophets preaching about one God Yahweh.

Arabs of Hejaj were Pagan worshippers and have nothing to do with Jewish Prophets. They were living a thousand miles away from the holy land. You can believe whatever you want, but there is no evidence to any of your claims.
 
Hilarious.

Romans and Persians were attacking Muslims? WHere do you get this info? :ROFLMAO:

I am asking again, what is the claim of Muslims over AL Aqsa and what is the story. I want to hear from you.

Regarding Prophets you are talking, they are all Jewish Prophets preaching about one God Yahweh.

Arabs of Hejaj were Pagan worshippers and have nothing to do with Jewish Prophets. They were living a thousand miles away from the holy land. You can believe whatever you want, but there is no evidence to any of your claims.

Im not here to provide free historical education. Do some research & if you can argue against , start a thread

It irrelevant to this situation in Gaza & the world faces at this moment .

When a territory so small can defy everything & instead increase massacres & also is purposely attempting to bring destruction to everyone , it has to be countered & stopped. What Muslims did or believe isn’t going to save you or I , if they succeed in their current plan .
 
Im not here to provide free historical education. Do some research & if you can argue against , start a thread

It irrelevant to this situation in Gaza & the world faces at this moment .

When a territory so small can defy everything & instead increase massacres & also is purposely attempting to bring destruction to everyone , it has to be countered & stopped. What Muslims did or believe isn’t going to save you or I , if they succeed in their current plan .
Why will I start a thread when it was you who were claiming that Romans and Persians were attacking Muslims? :genius

What Israel or Palestine do is between them. We can only talk about what is what. My counter to you was your claims of Israel acting according to their holy books. I am just pointing to you what your holy scriptures also tell about the same.
 

Rafah battles intensify as Israel takes over Gaza-Egypt border strip​


Rafah residents have reported intense artillery shelling and gunfire in Gaza’s far-southern city after Israel said it had seized a strategic corridor on the Palestinian territory’s border with Egypt.

The Israeli military launched its incursion into Rafah in early May despite international objections over the fate of Palestinian civilians sheltering there.

A strike over the weekend that started a fire and killed dozens in a displacement camp drew a wave of new condemnation, including a social media campaign with the slogan “All eyes on Rafah” that has been shared by tens of millions of users.

Israel said on Wednesday its forces had taken over the 14-kilometre (8.5-mile) Philadelphi corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border, which it suspects was used for weapons smuggling.

Military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari announced Israel had taken “operational control” of the narrow border area, where he said troops had “discovered around 20 tunnels”.

Egypt, a longtime mediator in the conflict that has become increasingly vocal in its criticism of the Israeli operation, has rejected claims of smuggling tunnels running beneath the buffer zone.

“Israel is using these allegations to justify continuing the operation on the Palestinian city of Rafah and prolonging the war for political purposes,” a high-level Egyptian source was quoted as saying by state-linked Al-Qahera News.

Egyptian officials have said a potential Israeli takeover of Philadelphi could violate the two countries’ landmark 1979 peace deal, though there has been no official comment from Cairo since the military’s announcement.

An AFP correspondent reported artillery and gunfire in the Gaza City neighbourhood of Zeitoun, in the territory’s north, where witnesses saw thick plumes of smoke rising over Jabalia refugee camp and Beit Lahiya.

A steady stream of civilians have fled Rafah, transporting their belongings on their shoulders, in cars or on donkey-drawn carts.

Before the Rafah offensive began, the United Nations said up to 1.4 million people were sheltering there. Since then, one million have fled the area, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has said.

The Israeli military said on Thursday its forces had attacked more than 50 targets across Gaza the previous day.

Troops found weapons, explosives and tunnel shafts in Rafah, and battled fighters in Jabalia, it said in a statement.

The weekend Israeli attack and ensuing fire, which tore through the camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah, killed 45 people, according to Gaza officials, and prompted two days of discussions at the UN Security Council.

 
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