Israel continues bombing Gaza after new call for ceasefire

Israel keep fighting Hamas and bombed several sectors of the Gaza Strip this Sunday, among them Rafaha day after international mediators urged the warring parties to accept a ceasefire agreement after almost eight months of war.

Despite opposition from the international community, the Israeli army continues its offensive in Rafah, a city in the extreme south of the Palestinian territory, launched on May 7 with the declared objective of destroying the last Hamas battalions.

Nearly a million Palestinians fled as Israeli troops advanced to the center and west of Rafah, on the border with Egypt. “The 36 shelters in Rafah of the UN Refugee Agency (UNRWA) were left empty “Witnesses told AFP this Sunday that they saw Israeli military vehicles in the west and center of Rafah, and reported explosions, fighting and continuous shooting from drones and helicopters.

The Palestinian Crescent said it received requests for help from civilians in the city but that it was “very difficult” to reach them “due to continuous Israeli shelling.”

In northern Gaza, three Palestinians were killed, including a child, in a bombing that destroyed their home in Gaza City, according to a hospital source. The areas of Deir al Balah, Bureij and Nuseirat were also targeted.

The army reported “selective” operations in Rafah and central Gaza. In the last 24 hours, “30 terrorist targets” were attacked, he added.

Finalize the agreement

The war broke out on October 7, when Hamas commandos killed 1,189 people, mostly civilians, in southern Israel, according to an AFP report based on official Israeli data.

The militants also kidnapped 252 people. Israel claims that 121 remain kidnapped in Gaza, of which 37 have died.

In response, Israel promised to “annihilate” Hamas and launched an air and ground offensive that has so far left 36,439 dead in Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian territory, governed by the Islamist movement.

Qatar, the United States and Egypt, mediators in the conflict, urged Israel and Hamas on Saturday to “finalize the truce agreement” based on a plan outlined by US President Joe Biden.

The three-phase plan announced Friday by Biden, proposed by Israel, would begin with a truce that would include the withdrawal of Israeli troops from populated areas of Gaza for six weeks and the release of some hostages held by Hamas in exchange. of Palestinian prisoners.

The temporary ceasefire could become “permanent” if Hamas “respects its commitments,” he explained. The next phase would include the release of the remaining hostages and the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recalled that the “conditions” to end the war include the “destruction” of Hamas and the “release of all hostages.”

Hamas limited itself to saying that it “positively” welcomed the roadmap presented by Biden, after reiterating that before any agreement could be reached it required a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Meeting in Egypt

The Israeli offensive caused a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, with the risk of famine, according to the UN.

Most of its 2.4 million inhabitants were forced to move, although the United Nations says there is no longer any safe place left in the territory besieged by Israel.

A meeting between Egypt, the United States and Israel is scheduled for Sunday in Cairo, according to an Egyptian media outlet, to discuss the Rafah border crossing, crucial for the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and closed since Israeli forces took over. control of the Palestinian side on May 7.

According to Israeli authorities, 764 Egyptian trucks with aid entered Gaza this week through the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel.

However, NGOs continue to point out that aid does not always reach the population.