Israeli strikes on Sunday killed at least 35 Palestinians and injured dozens more in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, according to Palestinian health and civil emergency service officials. Rafah is currently home to hundreds of displaced Palestinians who fled from northern Gaza following Israel’s counterattack against Hamas’s October 7 assault last year.
In a post on X, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that they struck a compound in Rafah housing “significant Hamas terrorists” using “precise munitions and on the basis of precise intelligence.” They also claimed that the strikes killed Hamas’s chief of staff for the West Bank and another senior official of the Palestinian Islamist group.
Hamas claimed to have launched a barrage of rockets at Israel’s Tel Aviv for the first time in months, prompting rocket sirens to blare across central Israel, according to a report by news agency Reuters. The strikes followed this rocket attack.
Here are the five latest developments in the Israel-Hamas war:
- Hamas Calls for Uprising: Following the Israeli strikes in Rafah, Hamas urged Palestinians to “rise up and march” against what it called the Israeli Army’s “massacre.” The group condemned the “horrific Zionist massacre” and called for action in the West Bank, Jerusalem, the occupied territories, and abroad, according to Times of Israel.
- US Monitoring Situation: A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council told the Times of Israel that the Biden administration is closely following the situation regarding the Israeli strikes on a displaced people’s camp in Rafah. “We’re aware of the reports about the incident in Rafah and are gathering more information,” the spokesperson added.
- IDF Targets Senior Hamas Officials: The Israeli Army announced that the strikes killed Yassin Rabia, Hamas’s chief of staff for the West Bank, and Khaled Najjar, a senior member of the Palestinian group. According to the IDF, Rabia was involved in funding terrorism and directing Hamas attacks in the West Bank, as well as committing multiple deadly attacks in 2001 and 2002. Najjar also carried out attacks between 2001 and 2003, killing civilians and soldiers.
- ICJ Orders Halt to Israeli Offensive: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to “immediately halt its military offensive” in Gaza city, including Rafah. This ruling came after South Africa’s application last week, citing the “disastrous” humanitarian situation in Rafah and warning that it could worsen if the offensive continues.
- Ceasefire Talks Resume: Talks between Hamas and Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza, which had been stalled for weeks, showed signs of progress this weekend. Meetings between Israeli and US intelligence officers and Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani led to a decision to resume talks based on new proposals from Egyptian and Qatari mediators, with “active US involvement,” an official told Reuters.
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