Concerns about a military offensive in the Gaza Strip are growing: Israeli forces advanced towards the city of Rafah on Tuesday evening and the Kerem Shalom crossing was shelled, Palestinian media reported. The army also took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing. There will be another meeting of negotiators in Cairo on Tuesday.
On Monday evening, Hamas said it had approved a negotiating proposal for a ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Hamas’s proposal was far from what Israel demanded. The Israeli side said the proposal was no longer the same as the one Israel and Egypt agreed to 10 days ago. “All kinds of clauses” had been inserted, Channel 12 reported.
The offensive was intended to increase pressure on Hamas
A Hamas official said the agreed proposal calls for a three-phase ceasefire, with the aim of a permanent ceasefire. Israel’s war cabinet decided in the evening to continue military operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to increase military pressure on Hamas and enforce Israel’s war objectives, Netanyahu’s office said.
Another meeting of negotiators will take place on Tuesday in the Egyptian capital Cairo to allow a ceasefire, the release of hostages and prisoners and the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, such as the Gulf Emirate of Qatar announced last night. Qatar, Egypt and the US act as mediators between Hamas and Israel, who in principle do not negotiate directly with each other.
Shots were fired at another border crossing
The Kerem Shalom border crossing – the main one for delivering aid from Israel to the Gaza Strip – was attacked by tanks and artillery from a distance of 200 meters, Palestinian media said. Several houses were destroyed and there were also fatalities, although there was initially no independent confirmation of this.
The military wing of the Palestinian terror organization Hamas on Sunday claimed responsibility for rocket attacks on the Israeli border crossing at Kerem Shalom. The targets were Israeli forces, according to a statement from the Kassam Brigades. According to the Israeli army, three soldiers were killed and twelve others were injured in the attack.
Insider: First phase of the offensive
The news portal Axios, citing Israeli government officials, reported that the deployment of tanks and ground units east of Rafah should be understood as the first phase of the offensive. UN Secretary General António Guterres called on the parties to the conflict to do everything they can to ultimately reach an agreement. “A ground offensive in Rafah would be unacceptable because of its devastating humanitarian consequences and its destabilizing impact on the region.” After meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Washington, US President Joe Biden also called for the release of all hostages. be permanent A ceasefire and humanitarian aid are urgently needed.
With the military operation in Rafah, Israel wants to destroy the remaining battalions of the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas, which it has been fighting in Gaza since October. The Hamas leadership and hostages are believed to be in the city. The Gaza War was sparked by the unprecedented massacre of more than 1,200 deaths that terrorists from Hamas and other groups wrought in Israel on October 7. In addition, approximately 250 hostages were kidnapped in the Gaza Strip.
Source: Krone
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