Israel-Gaza War: In the most recent events in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Israeli military took control of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt on Tuesday. Following bombings on the enclave, IDF tanks surged into Rafah, a town in southern Gaza.
Rafah has been a critical entry point for aid and the only departure for those able to evacuate since the conflict began in October of last year. Following the capture of the Rafah crossing by Israeli forces, the UN stated that the Israeli military operation in Rafah has “choked off” supplies to Gaza.
Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, stated during a news briefing that “with both the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings blocked, “today the two primary arteries for getting aid into Gaza have been cut off,” as quoted by NBC News.
Israel-Gaza War: Top Updates
- A delegation of officials arrived in Cairo, Egypt, on Tuesday to continue ceasefire discussions after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that a previously agreed-upon proposal by Hamas “falls far short” of Israel’s expectations, according to Al Jazeera.
- Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has stated that if negotiations fail, Israel will “deepen” its advance into Rafah.
- According to CNN, missiles were fired from the Gaza Strip’s Rafah border on Tuesday towards Kerem Shalom and the Re’im neighbourhood in southern Israel. Israel’s attacks on Rafah have killed at least 20 individuals since Tuesday morning, according to the Palestinian official news agency WAFA.
- On Monday, Hamas said that it has accepted a cease-fire proposal from Egyptian and Qatari negotiators. In a statement, the organisation said its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, informed Qatar’s Prime Minister and Egypt’s intelligence chief that it had accepted their proposal.
