In Gaza, the Israeli army is preparing for a ground offensive in the eastern neighborhoods of Rafah, as negotiations for a ceasefire have reached a deadlock. Yesterday, an airstrike on the city killed 16 people, while hundreds of thousands of refugees from the northern part of the Palestinian enclave gather in the area. Today, US, Egypt, and Qatar are holding an emergency meeting in Doha to address the conflict that began with Hamas’ attack on October 7 and has now been ongoing for eight months.
The ongoing conflict has made negotiations between Israel and Hamas impossible due to accusations of responsibility for failed truce talks being thrown back and forth. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement of an attack on Rafah has further complicated the situation, leading Hamas to reject his latest truce proposals. The United States has expressed its dissatisfaction with Israel’s actions, with reports indicating that American arms supplies to Israel have been interrupted for the first time.
Meanwhile in Italy, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has called for a new approach to fighting Hamas and addressing civilian casualties in Gaza. Today is also marked by a two-minute siren across Israel in remembrance of the 6 million Holocaust victims. Official ceremonies are taking place at Yad Vashem memorial in Jerusalem.
In response to the conflict, Israel continues to target the center of Gaza Strip while Lebanon’s Hezbollah group fires rockets at Israeli bases in Golan Heights. The situation in Gaza is dire as famine spreads from north to south prompting urgent calls for humanitarian aid.
Israeli army initiated a limited operation to evacuate residents from eastern Rafah to designated humanitarian areas aiming at accommodating increasing flow of aid into Gaza and ensuring safety of civilians amidst ongoing conflict despite these efforts casualties continue mounting with 16 people killed yesterday affecting two families in Rafah area alone .