Israel vows to broaden Rafah sweep amid heavy fighting
Published: 04:05 PM,May 20,2024 | EDITED : 08:05 PM,May 20,2024
Displaced Palestinian children line up to receive food in Rafah. — AFP
GAZA: Israel made a new push in central Gaza on Monday, bombarded towns in the north of the Strip and said it intended to broaden its military operation in Rafah despite U.S. warnings of the risk of mass casualties in the southern city.
Gaza medics said at least 23 people had been killed in the latest fighting, and residents said battles were intense in Jabalia in the north of the Palestinian enclave.
Israeli tanks also carried out a limited incursion into areas of Wadi Al-Salqa and Al-Karara near Deir Al-Balah, a central Gazan city which Israeli forces have not entered during more than seven months of war, local residents said.
Fighting raged as U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan held talks in Israel which the White House had said he would call for Israeli forces to go after Hamas militants in Gaza in a targeted way, not with a full-scale assault on Rafah.
But Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant signalled there would be no let-up in its operation, intended to clear Rafah of Hamas militants and rescue captives seized in the raid on Israel on Oct. 7 that triggered the war.
Israel told civilians to evacuate parts of the city on May 6 and began troop and tank incursions. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA estimates that 810,000 people have fled since then, possibly over half Rafah's wartime population.
Israel's plan for an all-out assault on Rafah has ignited one of the biggest rifts in generations with its main ally, and Washington held up a weapons shipment over fears of large civilian casualties.
At least 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war in Gaza, according to the enclave's health ministry, and aid agencies have also warned of widespread hunger and dire shortages of fuel and medical supplies.
Fighting has been heavy in Jabalia, the largest of Gaza's eight historic refugee camps, for about 10 days. Battles are under way in the heart of the camp and in narrow alleys that Israeli forces had not previously entered, residents said.
Talks mediated by Egypt and Qatar have failed to secure an end to the war. Qatar's Minister of State at the Foreign Ministry, Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, said on Monday he saw no political will to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza while military operations continued on the ground.
Israel says it wants to reach a deal allowing for an exchange of captives held in Gaza for Palestinians held in Israel, but has not committed to ending its offensive in Gaza. — Reuters
Gaza medics said at least 23 people had been killed in the latest fighting, and residents said battles were intense in Jabalia in the north of the Palestinian enclave.
Israeli tanks also carried out a limited incursion into areas of Wadi Al-Salqa and Al-Karara near Deir Al-Balah, a central Gazan city which Israeli forces have not entered during more than seven months of war, local residents said.
Fighting raged as U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan held talks in Israel which the White House had said he would call for Israeli forces to go after Hamas militants in Gaza in a targeted way, not with a full-scale assault on Rafah.
But Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant signalled there would be no let-up in its operation, intended to clear Rafah of Hamas militants and rescue captives seized in the raid on Israel on Oct. 7 that triggered the war.
Israel told civilians to evacuate parts of the city on May 6 and began troop and tank incursions. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA estimates that 810,000 people have fled since then, possibly over half Rafah's wartime population.
Israel's plan for an all-out assault on Rafah has ignited one of the biggest rifts in generations with its main ally, and Washington held up a weapons shipment over fears of large civilian casualties.
At least 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war in Gaza, according to the enclave's health ministry, and aid agencies have also warned of widespread hunger and dire shortages of fuel and medical supplies.
Fighting has been heavy in Jabalia, the largest of Gaza's eight historic refugee camps, for about 10 days. Battles are under way in the heart of the camp and in narrow alleys that Israeli forces had not previously entered, residents said.
Talks mediated by Egypt and Qatar have failed to secure an end to the war. Qatar's Minister of State at the Foreign Ministry, Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, said on Monday he saw no political will to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza while military operations continued on the ground.
Israel says it wants to reach a deal allowing for an exchange of captives held in Gaza for Palestinians held in Israel, but has not committed to ending its offensive in Gaza. — Reuters