Israel presents planned schedule for attack on Rafah
Israeli War Cabinet Secretary Benny Gantz said that if Hamas does not release the remaining hostages held in Gaza by the start of Ramadan, Israel will launch its long-threatened attack on Rafah next month. .
“The world must know, and the Hamas leadership must know. If the hostages are not returned home by Ramadan, fighting will continue everywhere, including in the Rafah region.” GantzThe retired army chief of staff spoke at a conference of American Jewish leaders in Jerusalem on Sunday, according to Agence France-Presse.
Gantz He also made a similar comment on his timeline. FridayThe Israeli government had otherwise not specified a deadline for the planned attack on the city, where most of the 1.7 million displaced Palestinians have taken refuge, according to the Times of Israel. .
Ramadan, the Islamic holy month, is scheduled to begin on March 10th.
Gantz It added that the attack would be carried out in a coordinated manner and in dialogue with the Americans and Egyptians to facilitate evacuations and “minimize civilian casualties as much as possible.” .
But it remains unclear where people can safely move to in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Out of concern for civilians, foreign governments and aid groups have repeatedly urged Israel not to enter Rafah, the last major city not invaded by ground forces during the four-month war.
Despite mounting international pressure, including a direct appeal from the President of the United States, joe bidenPrime Minister of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu He insists that the war cannot be completed without putting pressure on Rafah.
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The case dates back to 2022 when the UN general assembly asked the court for an advisory, or non-binding, opinion on the occupation, Reuters reports.
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Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki will speak first in the legal proceedings.
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While Israel has ignored such opinions in the past, it could pile on political pressure over its ongoing war in Gaza, which has killed about 29,000 Palestinians, according to officials in the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, since the 7 October attacks by Hamas.
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Among countries scheduled to participate in the hearings are the United States – Israel’s strongest supporter, China, Russia, South Africa and Egypt. Israel will not, although it has sent written observations.
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Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem – areas of historic Palestine which the Palestinians want for a state – in the 1967 war. It withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but, along with neighbouring Egypt, still controls its borders.
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It is the second time the UN general assembly has asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, for an advisory opinion related to the occupied Palestinian territory.
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Israel will launch its long-threatened offensive against Rafah next month if Hamas has not freed the remaining hostages held in Gaza by the start of Ramadan, Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz said.
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“The world must know, and Hamas leaders must know – if by Ramadan our hostages are not home, the fighting will continue everywhere, including the Rafah area,” Gantz, a retired military chief of staff, told a conference of American Jewish leaders in Jerusalem Sunday, according to Agence France-Presse.
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Gantz made similar comments on a timeline on Friday, according to the Times of Israel, but otherwise, the Israeli government has not previously specified a deadline for its planned assault on the city where most of the 1.7 million displaced Palestinians have sought refuge.
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Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, is expected to begin on 10 March.
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Gantz added that an offensive would be carried out in a coordinated manner and in conversation with Americans and Egyptians to facilitate an evacuation and “minimise the civilian casualties as much as possible”.
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But where people can safely relocate on the besieged Gaza Strip remains unclear.
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Fears for civilians have led foreign governments and aid organisations to repeatedly urge Israel to not go into Rafah, the last major city not invaded by ground troops during the four-month-old war.
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Despite the mounting international pressure, including a direct appeal from US President Joe Biden, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists the war cannot be completed without pressing into Rafah.
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It’s 8:21am in Gaza and Tel Aviv, welcome to our latest Guardian live blog on the Middle East crisis. I’m Reged Ahmad and I’ll be with you for the next while.
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Israel will launch its long-threatened offensive against Rafah next month if Hamas has not freed the remaining hostages held in Gaza by the start of Ramadan, Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz said.
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The Israeli government has not previously specified a deadline for its planned assault on the city where most of the 1.7 million displaced Palestinians have sought refuge.
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“The world must know, and Hamas leaders must know – if by Ramadan our hostages are not home, the fighting will continue everywhere, including the Rafah area,” Gantz, a retired military chief of staff, told a conference of American Jewish leaders in Jerusalem Sunday, according to Agence France-Presse.
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More on that in a moment but first, here’s a summary of the latest developments:
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The UN security council is expected to vote Tuesday on an Arab-backed resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, which the United States announced it will veto, Associates Press reports.
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Israel formalised its opposition to what it called the “unilateral recognition” of Palestinian statehood, and said any such agreement must be reached through direct negotiations. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, brought the “declaratory decision” to a vote in cabinet, which unanimously approved the measure, according to a statement.
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EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the situation in the Israel-occupied West Bank posed a major obstacle to finding a long-term solution for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
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The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in Gaza is no longer functioning due to the Israeli army’s “week-long siege followed by the ongoing raid”. The Gaza Strip’s second-largest hospital still sheltered many patients suffering from war wounds and Gaza’s worsening health crisis, but there was no power and not enough staff to treat them all, health officials said. “It’s gone completely out of service,” Gaza health ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra told Reuters. “There are only four medical teams – 25 staff – currently caring for patients inside the facility,” he said.
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A total of 28,985 Palestinian people have been killed and 68,883 others injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October 2023, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said in a statement. At least 127 Palestinians have been killed and 205 others injured in the past 24 hours, the ministry added.
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The Israeli military said on Sunday that it killed dozens of Palestinian militants and seized a large amount of weapons in fighting throughout the Gaza Strip over the past day.
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Western powers have rejected suggestions that Hamas as an entity can be allowed a role in governing Gaza at the end of the war, saying only that they recognise that Palestinian militancy will still exist.
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In the UK, Keir Starmer, the Labour party leader, said the “fighting must stop now” in Gaza, warning Israel not to extend its military offensive to the southern city of Rafah.
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Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva accused Israel on Sunday of committing “genocide” against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. “What’s happening in the Gaza Strip isn’t a war, it’s a genocide,” Lula told reporters in Addis Ababa, where he was attending an African Union summit. “It’s not a war of soldiers against soldiers. It’s a war between a highly prepared army and women and children,” he added. The 78-year-old leader condemned Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel as a “terrorist” act but he has since grown vocally critical of Israel’s retaliatory military campaign.
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US forces in the Red Sea have successfully conducted “five self-defence strikes” to foil attacks by land and sea from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the American military said Sunday. The five strikes included targeting “the first observed Huthi employment of a UUV (unmanned underwater vessel) since attacks began” in October, according to a statement from US central command (Centcom). Meanwhile maritime security firm Ambrey reported a new incident in the strategic Bab al-Mandeb straight, in which a cargo vessel came under attack on Sunday.
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important events
ICJ Hearing on Israel’s Occupation of Palestinian Territories
The International Court of Justice is scheduled to hold a week of hearings on Monday on the legal implications of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, with more than 50 countries scheduled to address the judge.
The case dates back to 2022, when the United Nations General Assembly asked the court for an advisory or non-binding opinion on the occupation, Reuters reported.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki will be the first to speak in the legal proceedings.
Israel has ignored such opinions in the past, but since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, which has killed about 29,000 Palestinians, according to officials at the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, Political pressure is likely to increase further over the war.
Countries scheduled to participate in the hearing include the United States, Israel’s strongest backer, China, Russia, South Africa and Egypt. Israel has sent written observations but will not do so.
In the 1967 war, Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem, areas of historic Palestine where Palestinians want to establish a state. It withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but still controls its borders with neighboring Egypt.
This is the second time that the United Nations General Assembly has asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, for an advisory opinion related to the occupied Palestinian territories.
Israel presents planned schedule for attack on Rafah
Israeli War Cabinet Secretary Benny Gantz said that if Hamas does not release the remaining hostages held in Gaza by the start of Ramadan, Israel will launch its long-threatened attack on Rafah next month. .
“The world must know, and the Hamas leadership must know. If the hostages are not returned home by Ramadan, fighting will continue everywhere, including in the Rafah region.” GantzThe retired army chief of staff spoke at a conference of American Jewish leaders in Jerusalem on Sunday, according to Agence France-Presse.
Gantz He also made a similar comment on his timeline. FridayThe Times of Israel reported that the Israeli government had otherwise not specified a deadline for the planned attack on the city, where most of the 1.7 million displaced Palestinians have taken refuge. .
Ramadan, the Islamic holy month, is scheduled to begin on March 10th.
Gantz It added that the attack would be carried out in a coordinated manner and in dialogue with the Americans and Egyptians to facilitate evacuations and “minimize civilian casualties as much as possible.” .
But it remains unclear where people can safely move to in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Out of concern for civilians, foreign governments and aid groups have repeatedly urged Israel not to enter Rafah, the last major city not invaded by ground forces during the four-month war.
Despite mounting international pressure, including a direct appeal from the President of the United States, joe bidenPrime Minister of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu He insists that the war cannot be completed without putting pressure on Rafah.
Welcome and opening overview
Gaza and Tel Aviv at 8:21 a.m.; Welcome to the latest Guardian live blog on the Middle East crisis. I’m Regd Ahmad. I will be with you for a while.
Israeli War Cabinet Secretary Benny Gantz said that if Hamas does not release the remaining hostages held in Gaza by the start of Ramadan, Israel will launch its long-threatened attack on Rafah next month. .
The Israeli government has so far not specified a deadline for planning an attack on the city, where most of the country’s 1.7 million displaced Palestinians have fled.
“The world must know, and the Hamas leadership must know. If the hostages are not returned by Ramadan, fighting will continue everywhere, including in the Rafah region,” Gantz, a retired military chief of staff, said. spoke at the 2016 American Jewish Leadership Conference. Jerusalem Sunday, according to Agence France-Presse.
We’ll go into more detail later, but first, here’s a quick overview of the latest developments.
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UN Security Council to vote on Tuesday on Arab-backed resolution calling for immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gazathe Associated Press reported that the United States announced it would exercise its veto power.
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Israel has formally announced its opposition to what it calls “unilateral recognition” of a Palestinian state.said such an agreement must be reached through direct negotiations. Prime Minister of Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin NetanyahuAccording to the statement, the cabinet voted on the “declaration decision” and unanimously approved the measure.
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EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the situation in the Israeli-occupied West Bank was a major obstacle. It is about finding a long-term solution for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
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World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip, is no longer functioning. This was due to a “week-long siege followed by continued attacks” by Israeli forces. The Gaza Strip’s second-largest hospital still accommodates many patients suffering from war-related injuries and Gaza’s worsening health crisis, but health officials say it lacks the power and staff to treat everyone. Ta. “It has completely ceased to function,” Ashraf al-Khidra, a Gaza health ministry spokesman, told Reuters. “Currently, there are only four medical teams and 25 staff members treating patients within the facility,” he said.
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A total of 28,985 Palestinians have been killed and 68,883 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, 2023.the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said in a statement. The ministry added that at least 127 Palestinians were killed and 205 injured in the past 24 hours.
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The Israeli military said Sunday that it had killed dozens of Palestinian militants and seized a large amount of weapons. Yesterday there was fighting across the Gaza Strip.
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Western countries have rejected suggestions that Hamas as an organization could play a role in governing Gaza in the final stages of the war.He said only that he was aware that Palestinian armed groups would continue to exist.
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In the UK, Labor Party leader Keir Starmer said “the fighting must stop now” in Gaza.warned Israel not to expand its military offensive to the southern city of Rafah.
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Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday accused Israel of committing “genocide” against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. “What is happening in Gaza is not a war, it is a genocide,” Lula told reporters in Addis Ababa, where he was attending an African Union summit. “This is not a war between soldiers versus soldiers. This is a war between highly prepared troops and women and children,” he added. The 78-year-old leader condemned Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel as a “terrorist” act, but has since become a vocal critic of Israel’s retaliatory military operations.
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The US military in the Red Sea conducted a successful operation.5 self-defense attacks To deter land and sea attacks from Houthi-held areas in YemenThe US military announced on Sunday. The five attacks included one in October that targeted “a Houthi UUV (unmanned submarine), the first observed since the offensive began,” according to a statement from U.S. Central Command (Centcom). Ta. Meanwhile, maritime security company Ambry reported a new incident in the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, where a cargo ship was attacked on Sunday.
