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☆ Here’s what Gaza’s humanitarian aid crisis looks like after eight months of war
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-07 | by ( Rachel Wilson | Sana Noor Haq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Here is a breakdown of how the aid crisis has deepened in the territory after 245 days of war. Crossing closures nearly halt all aidIsrael’s restrictions on land routes into Gaza meant aid was barely trickling into the strip. Aid workers say they can barely meet humanitarian demands on the ground. Israeli attacks on aid convoys have sparked fierce condemnation from rights groups, drawing attention to growing Western skepticism of Israel’s war in Gaza. The attacks “reveal fundamental flaws with the so-called deconfliction system, meant to protect aid workers,” according to the report.

Persons: ”, “, ” Raed Redwan, Louise Wateridge, it’s, Trucks, COGAT, Ahmad Salem, Wateridge, “ It’s, Mahmoud Shalabi, ” Mahmoud Shalabi, Shalabi, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, Gaza’s Ministry of Health, UN, US, Pentagon, UNRWA, United Nations, Bloomberg, Getty, Humanitarian Affairs, NGO, Aid, humanitarians, Relief, Human Rights Watch, HRW Locations: Deir al, Gaza, Palestinian, Israel, Rafah, Egypt, Kerem, Wadi Gaza, “

☆ Israel Pushes Into Central Rafah in Southern Gaza Offensive
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | Lauren Leatherby | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Credit... Jehad Alshrafi/Associated PressThe Israeli military said on Friday that its forces had advanced into central Rafah, pushing even deeper into the southern Gaza city despite an international backlash and pressure from allies to scale back the latest offensive. Israeli commandoes backed by tanks and artillery were operating in central Rafah, the Israeli military said in a statement, without specifying precise locations. GAZA STRIP Area of image Central Rafah GAZA Israeli military vehicles EGYPT GAZA STRIP Area of image Central Rafah GAZA Israeli military vehicles EGYPT Much of eastern Rafah has been devastated since the offensive began in early May, particularly around the border crossing with Egypt, according to satellite photos from May 22. Israel captured the Rafah crossing in an overnight operation on May 7 that marked the beginning of their assault on the area. May 5 RAFAH Rafah crossing 1 mile May 22 GAZA STRIP Area of image Area of most damage Rafah crossing Source: Satellite imagery from Planet Labs The Rafah crossing has served as a vital conduit for getting humanitarian aid into Gaza amid widespread deprivation and hunger.

Persons: Jehad, Israel Organizations: Associated Press, United Nations, International Court of Justice, Planet Labs, Labs Locations: Rafah, Israel, Gaza, Egypt, United States, GAZA, Rafah GAZA, EGYPT GAZA, EGYPT, RAFAH Rafah, Palestinian

The World Food Programme (WFP) is currently serving only 27,000 people in Rafah, according to Matthew Hollingworth, the organization’s country director in Gaza. Rafah had previously been the central artery for aid to flow into Gaza, as the only border crossing not controlled by Israel. Israel’s military has continued to push further into Rafah, defying international concern and anger over its operations in the city. “IDF troops in central Rafah located Hamas rocket launchers, terror tunnel shafts, and weapons. Hollingworth added that the WFP’s warehouse in Rafah, which was once capable of storing 2,700 tons of food, is no longer operational.

Persons: Matthew Hollingworth, ” Hollingworth, ”, Hollingsworth, Jack Guez, Israel, Erez, Hollingworth, – Organizations: CNN, United, Food Programme, Getty, WFP, Israel Defense Forces, “, UN, IDF Locations: United Nations, Rafah, Gaza, Israel, AFP, Egypt, ”, May, Kerem, Erez

☆ Israeli airstrikes kill at least 35 in Rafah, Gaza authorities say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said the rockets fired from Rafah "prove that the (Israel Defense Forces) must operate in every place Hamas still operates from". Reshiq restated Hamas's demands, which include: "Ending the aggression completely and permanently, in all of Gaza Strip, not only Rafah". It follows an agreement between U.S. President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Friday to temporarily send aid via the Kerem Shalom crossing, bypassing the Rafah crossing that has been blocked for weeks. Aid trucks had been piling up on the Egyptian side of the border since May 7, when Israel seized the Rafah crossing in Gaza. Today, trucks at the Rafah crossing were rerouted to the Kerem Shalom crossing, which sits at the junction of Gaza, Israel and Egypt.

Persons: Eyad BABA, EYAD BABA, Eyad Baba, Ashraf Al, Sami Abu Zuhri, Benjamin Netanyahu, Benny Gantz, Yoav Gallant, Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel, Izzat, Reshiq, Netanyahu, Khaled Zayed of, Joe Biden, Abdel Fattah al, Ali Moustafa Organizations: West Bank, Hamas, Palestinian Authority, Getty, Afp, International Committee, Kuwaiti, Brigades, Israel Defense Forces, ., Reuters, Aid, Crescent Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Israel, AFP, Tel Al, States, Tel Aviv, Egypt, Jabaliya, Gaza Israel, Kerem Shalom, RAFAH, EGYPT, Palestinian, Kerem Abu Salem, Today

☆ Access to Aid in Gaza Was Dire. Now, It’s Worse.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Amy Schoenfeld Walker | Elena Shao | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

Access to Aid in Gaza Was Dire. Israel closed that crossing as well as the Rafah crossing, where a majority of aid had been coming in. Nearly 300 aid trucks had crossed there in a single day just before the incursion. COGAT, the Israeli military agency coordinating aid delivery, has said that increasing the amount of aid going into Gaza remains a priority. But just a quarter of that amount arrives on average each day since the closure of Rafah crossing, according to U.N. data.

Persons: ”, Israel, Biden, Georgios Petropoulos, it's, ” Erez, Erez, Kerem Shalom, Abdel Fattah al, Ahmad Ezzat, Scott Anderson, Anderson, Petropoulos, —, Khan Younis, Mr Organizations: International Court, Justice, Central Kitchen, U.S ., United, Aid, Egyptian Red, UNRWA, Kerem, U.S, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Food Program Locations: Gaza, Southern, Israel, Rafah, Ashdod, Kerem Shalom, United Nations, “, Erez, Israel GAZA, EGYPT, U.S, Egypt, Kerem, Egyptian, Israeli

☆ Opinion: The near-impossible task of providing food aid in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Opinion Kerri Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Almost all humanitarian aid providers were operating out of Rafah, including my colleagues from the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). Since October, the team in Gaza has provided lifesaving humanitarian aid to more than half a million people. In Rafah, our staff were living in a compound with dozens of other families while continuing to organize the complex logistics of providing humanitarian aid. A truck carrying humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip passes through the Kerem Shalom Crossing in southern Israel last March. We must preserve international humanitarian law and prevent further death and starvation.

Persons: Kerri Kennedy, Fatima Shbair, Israel, Biden, Ohad, they’ve, Joe Biden, Facebook Biden, that’s, — Organizations: American Friends Service Committee, CNN, Kerri Kennedy American Friends Service, UN, United Nations, Gaza, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Gaza, Israel, Rafah, Gaza City, Fatima, Amman, Egypt, Kerem Shalom, Myanmar, Sudan, Kerem, Detroit

☆ ICJ Expected to Rule on Israel’s Assault on Rafah: Live Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Gaya Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Another Israeli legal adviser, Tamar Kaplan Tourgeman, said that hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian supplies had entered Kerem Shalom last week. The hearings are part of South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide, which it filed in December. In late January, the court ordered Israel to do more to prevent acts of genocide, but it stopped short of calling for a cease-fire. The main case, dealing with the accusation of genocide, is not expected to start until next year. The request must be approved by the court’s judges, but it further isolated Israel on the world stage.

Persons: Israel, Kerem Shalom, ”, Gilad Noam, Tamar Kaplan Tourgeman, Kerem, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant Organizations: International Court of Justice, United Nations ’, South, Kerem Shalom, International Court, Justice, Criminal Court Locations: The Hague, South Africa, Israel, Rafah, Gazan, Gaza, Kerem, Israeli, South

The distribution comes several days after the US military’s pier operation launched and got off to a rocky start. “Such challenges with internal distribution are not new or unique to aid delivery from the sea,” Cooper said. The US military is also going to continue airdropping aid into Gaza, Cooper confirmed. Dieckhaus said Thursday that there are “thousands and thousands of tons” of aid in Cyprus awaiting processing to be brought across the pier. On Wednesday, “the UN reported 215 private sector trucks entering Gaza through Kerem Shalom and 115 humanitarian assistance trucks through Zikim/Erez West,” USAID said.

Persons: Brad Cooper, ” Cooper, Cooper, Daniel Dieckhaus, “, Dieckhaus, Erez West, Erez East, ” Organizations: CNN — Aid, US Agency for International Development, USAID, United States Central Command, Pentagon, Management, UN Locations: Gaza, Hamas, Cyprus, Kerem Shalom, Rafah, Erez, United States, Israel

☆ U.S. Military Faces Reality in Gaza as Aid Project Struggles
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Helene Cooper | Adam Rasgon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Defense Department predicted that a steady stream of humanitarian aid would be arriving in Gaza via the pier by now, but little relief has reached Palestinians in the besieged strip, officials acknowledged this week. Several trucks were looted as they made their way to a warehouse, the U.N. World Food Program said, and the complexity of operating the pier project in a war zone is continuing to slow distribution. Looting of aid trucks has continued, officials said, and forced the World Food Program to suspend operations for two days. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, suspended food distribution in Rafah on Tuesday, citing lack of security. For one thing, White House policy does not allow U.S. troops to be on the ground in Gaza.

Organizations: ., The Defense Department, Food Program, Food, UNRWA, Pentagon Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Kerem Shalom, U.S

☆ Konya: Turkey’s ancient city of whirling dervishes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Robert Iddiols | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Konya, Turkey CNN —When most people think of Turkey bucket list destinations, a few obvious ones spring to mind - Istanbul, Turquoise Coast hotspots like Bodrum or the otherworldly landscapes of Cappadocia. As well as being a renowned Islamic scholar, Rumi launched the Mevlevi Order of the Whirling Dervishes. And while they can be seen in various locations across Turkey, Konya is the beating heart of their activities. Abdullah Çetín, a photographer based in Konya, says the city and region’s history is also what puts it on the map. Murat Oner Tas/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesKonya is also a jumping off point for Lake Tuz, a large hypersaline lake that lies about two hours’ drive northeast of the city.

Persons: –, it’s, Celaleddin Rumi, Rumi, Maulana, ”, Kerem Polat, Adem Altan, Polat, “, ” Polat, Abdullah Çetín, Çetín, Murat Oner Tas, Fahri Tunç, Tunç, ’, ‘, ” Tunç, he’s Organizations: CNN, Turkey CNN, Getty, ”, Mevlana Museum, Anadolu Agency Locations: Konya, Turkey, Istanbul, Turquoise, – Konya, Adem, AFP, Sultanate of Rum, Balkh, Afghanistan, Mecca, Medina, Anatolia, mycan, Sille, Gevale, Rumi, Konya “, Lake Tuz, Salt, Tuz

☆ Middle East Crisis Norway Recognizes a Palestinian State
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Emma Bubola | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

General Ryder said that 569 metric tons of aid had made it onto Gaza’s shore but that those supplies had yet to be parceled out by humanitarian organizations. Israel not only seized the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt but also closed the Kerem Shalom crossing into Israel. Though Israel has since reopened Kerem Shalom, only 69 trucks have entered Gaza through it in the past two weeks, according to U.N. data. That is far fewer than the number of aid trucks that were entering through the two southern border crossings before Israeli troops went into Rafah. The United Nations estimates that trucks carrying food to Gaza have been loaded with roughly 15 to 30 metric tons each.

Persons: Patrick S, Ryder, General Ryder, “, ” Organizations: Pentagon, Food, United Nations Locations: Gaza, U.S, Israel, Rafah, Egypt, Kerem

☆ No Gaza Aid Delivered Through U.S.-Built Pier Has Been Distributed, Pentagon Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Gaya Gupta | More About Gaya Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

General Ryder said that 569 metric tons of aid had made it onto Gaza’s shore but that those supplies had yet to be parceled out by humanitarian organizations. On Saturday, hungry crowds looted several World Food Program trucks transporting aid that had been delivered through the pier, prompting the agency to suspend deliveries of aid arriving at the pier on Sunday and Monday. That is a far less than the number of aid trucks that were entering through the two southern border crossings before Israeli troops went into Rafah. The 569 metric tons that have arrived at the pier so far are a fraction of the amount of aid that was entering Gaza through land routes before Israel seized the Rafah crossing. The United Nations estimates that trucks carrying food to Gaza have been loaded with roughly 15 to 30 metric tons each.

Persons: Patrick S, Ryder, General Ryder, “, ” Organizations: Pentagon, Food, United Nations Locations: Gaza, U.S, Israel, Rafah, Egypt, Kerem

☆ Middle East Crisis Temporary Pier Is Anchored in Gaza to Deliver Aid, U.S. Military Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. officials had said last week that the floating pier and causeway had been completed, but that weather conditions had delayed their installation. An American ship loaded with humanitarian aid, the Sagamore, set off for Gaza from Cyprus last week, and the aid was loaded onto a smaller vessel that had been waiting for the pier to be installed. Aid groups say the devastation in Gaza after seven months of Israeli bombardment, strict Israeli inspections and restrictions on crossing points are limiting the amount of aid that can enter Gaza. The Pentagon has said that the pier could help deliver as many as two million meals a day. An aid group, World Central Kitchen, built a makeshift jetty in mid-March to deliver aid by sea to Gaza for the first time in nearly two decades.

Persons: Charles Q, Brown, “ It’ll, ”, “, that’s, Nadav Shoshani, Dan Dieckhaus, Rawan Sheikh Ahmad, Helene Cooper Organizations: U.S, Israel, U.S . Central Command, United Nations, Central Command, U.S ., Pentagon, Joint Chiefs, Staff, NATO, Israeli Navy, Division, Food, U.S . Agency for International Development Locations: Rafah, Israel, Gaza, An American, Cyprus, Brussels, Kerem

☆ ‘We have to do what we have to do’: Israel’s Netanyahu stands firm on Rafah offensive despite U.S. tensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged tensions with historical ally the U.S. over the military offensive in Rafah in the Gaza Strip, but stood firm that the operation is required to protect Israeli security. But we have to do what we have to do," Netanyahu said Wednesday, in an interview with CNBC's Sara Eisen. Over 1,200 people have been killed in Israel since October, according to Israel's prime minister's office. Meanwhile, more than 35,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian health ministry's latest official count. Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed that Washington could not endorse a Rafah military incursion in the absence of a "credible" plan to safeguard civilians.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, CNBC's Sara Eisen, Israel, Antony Blinken, Josep Borrell Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, NBC's, U.S . State Department Locations: U.S, Rafah, Gaza, Israel, United States, Washington, Hamas, Kerem Shalom

Maps Show Scarce Shelter and Medical Care as Rafah Operation Is UnderwayHundreds of thousands of Gazans have fled the southern region of Rafah over the past week, after Israel has expanded its evacuation orders amid continued bombardment and fierce fighting there. Satellite imagery taken after the May 6 incursion shows extensive new damage to eastern parts of Rafah. Additional damaged buildings were identified in satellite imagery collected from May 5 to May 7. As of Tuesday, new high resolution satellite imagery of the evacuation area in Rafah was not available after May 7. ISRAEL Rafah crossing N EGYPT Kerem Shalom crossing 1 mile Source: World Health Organization; International Committee of the Red Cross press releases Note: Data is as of May 14.

Persons: Younis, Copernicus, Israel, Corey Scher, Den, Abu Yousef al, EGYPT Al Helal, Helal, EGYPT Kerem Organizations: Planet Labs, The New York Times, Health, United Nations, The United Nations, New York Times, Copernicus Sentinel, CUNY, Center, Den Hoek of Oregon State University, Labs, Najjar, Maternity, Health Organization, International Committee, Red Cross Locations: Rafah, Israel, Gaza, Rafah Egypt Israel Rafah, Kerem Shalom, Israel Egypt Rafah, Egypt, GAZA, Rafah ISRAEL EGYPT Rafah, Rafah ISRAEL EGYPT, Shalom, Den Hoek of, Kuwait, EGYPT, EGYPT Al Helal Al, ISRAEL Rafah, Helal Al, EGYPT Kerem Shalom, Jabaliya, Gaza City

☆ Aid for Gazans Has Come to a Near-Total Halt
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Southern Gaza is running dangerously low on essentials like food and medicine, after the flow of aid has come to a near-total stop — first closed off by Israel and then further restricted, officials say, by Egypt. It also temporarily shut down the other crucial southern crossing, known as Kerem Shalom, after a nearby Hamas attack killed four Israeli soldiers on Sunday. Egypt, where most of the aid to Gaza is collected and loaded, is resisting sending trucks toward Kerem Shalom, according to U.S. and Israeli officials. They believe that Egypt is trying to pressure Israel to pull back from its operation in Rafah. Egypt fears that the Rafah operation could push Palestinian refugees onto Egyptian soil — an outcome the country views as a national security threat.

Persons: —, Kerem Shalom Locations: Southern Gaza, Israel, Egypt, Gazan, Rafah, Gaza, Kerem

GAZA STRIP Israel Area of satellite image EGYPT Rafah crossing Israeli incursionA Satellite View of Israel’s New Front in GazaNew satellite imagery taken after Israeli forces pushed into Rafah shows widespread damage to the southern Gaza city — including large areas of flattened structures — and clusters of Israeli armored vehicles. North Israeli tanks Razed structures Damage between Monday and Tuesday Rafah crossing Rafah crossing Israeli tanks EGYPT EGYPT New debris GAZA GAZA Damage from Monday Smoke rising Smoke rising Israeli tanks Damage before Monday Israeli tanks North Damage between Monday and Tuesday Razed structures Rafah crossing EGYPT Israeli tanks New debris GAZA Damage from Monday Smoke rising Israeli tanks Damage before Monday North Israeli tanks EGYPT Damage between Monday and Tuesday Razed structures Rafah crossing New debris Israeli tanks GAZA Smoke rising Israeli tanks Damage from before Monday Source: Satellite imagery from Planet LabsWhile Israel has described the operation that began earlier this week as limited, imagery captured on Tuesday morning by Planet Labs, a commercial satellite company, shows significant destruction in parts of the city. A network of damaged buildings reaches more than two miles into the territory near Rafah’s border crossing with Egypt. Monday Tuesday GAZA STRIP Area of image Source: Satellite imagery from Planet LabsIsrael says Rafah is Hamas’s last stronghold, and a critical gateway for arms shipments smuggled into Gaza from Egypt. Local health authorities warned of a “significant increase” in the death toll because of intense Israeli bombardment across Gaza, particularly in Rafah.

Persons: Israel, Scott Anderson, al Balah, Khan, Rafah’s Abu Yousef al, Marwan al Organizations: North, Labs, Israel, Planet Labs, Tuesday GAZA, Residents, al Balah Residents, ISRAEL Residents, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Najjar, Hams Locations: GAZA, Israel, EGYPT Rafah, Gaza, Rafah, EGYPT EGYPT, EGYPT, Rafah’s, Egypt, Planet Labs Israel, Hamas’s, al, ISRAEL, Kerem, Deir, Kerem Shalom, Palestine, Local

☆ Israeli forces take control of the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

An Israeli tank brigade seized control Tuesday of the Gaza Strip side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, authorities said, moving forward with an offensive in the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remain on a knife's edge. The Israeli 401st Brigade entered the Rafah crossing early Tuesday morning, the Israeli military said, taking "operational control" of the crucial crossing. Footage released by the Israeli military showed a tank entering the crossing. The Israeli military claimed it seized the crossing after receiving intelligence it was "being used for terrorist purposes." Wael Abu Omar, a spokesman for the Palestinian Crossings Authority, acknowledged Israeli forces had seized the crossing and had closed the facility for the time being.

Persons: brinkmanship, Wael Abu Omar, Israel that's Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Israeli 401st Brigade, Palestinian Crossings Authority, Egyptian Foreign Ministry Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Israeli, Egypt, Kerem, Wael, United States

International humanitarian officials said the military operation had halted the flow of aid from Egypt into Gaza, exacerbating extreme hunger and privation in the besieged territory. “The situation is catastrophic in every sense of the word,” said Dr. Suhaib Hems, the head of Kuwait Hospital in Rafah, adding that 27 bodies and 150 wounded people had been brought to his facility since Israeli tanks entered the city. The Israeli military said it had killed about 20 people in Rafah, describing the dead as Hamas militants. Hamas said it had fired on Israeli soldiers on Tuesday at another vital aid crossing, near Kerem Shalom, along Gaza’s southern border with Israel. The Israeli military said that four mortar shells and two rockets had been launched toward Kerem Shalom from Rafah but that no injuries or damage were reported.

Persons: ”, Suhaib Hems Organizations: International, Kuwait Hospital Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Egypt, Kerem Shalom, Israel, Shalom

☆ Israel’s Closures of 2 Gaza Border Crossings Prompt Alarm Over Humanitarian Aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With its seizure of the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Tuesday, Israel has now closed two key crossings for aid into Gaza, drawing sharp warnings from international agencies and officials who said the moves could exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis in the enclave. Since the start of the war, Israel had limited aid entering the Gaza Strip to the two tightly controlled border crossings: Kerem Shalom and Rafah, which both access the enclave’s south. But Israel closed the Kerem Shalom crossing after a Hamas attack on Sunday killed four soldiers in the area, then mounted an incursion on Tuesday that closed the Rafah crossing along the border with Egypt. Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the U.N. humanitarian office, said in a news briefing that Israel had “choked off” the two main arteries for getting aid into Gaza. Egypt’s foreign ministry condemned the Rafah operation “in the strongest terms,” saying on Tuesday afternoon that Israeli control over the crossing jeopardized humanitarian aid deliveries as well as the ability of Gazans to leave the strip for medical treatment.

Persons: Jens Laerke, Israel, “ Organizations: Sunday, United Nations Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Egypt, Israel, Kerem Shalom

☆ Middle East Crisis Israeli Military Warns Thousands in Rafah to Evacuate
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Vivek Shankar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

“We were very close, but Netanyahu’s narrow-mindedness aborted an agreement,” Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, said in a phone interview. The Israeli official said that Israel had sought a written response to its latest proposal from Hamas before dispatching a delegation, but that the group never conveyed one. Mr. Abu Marzouk was the only one of the officials who spoke about the talks to allow the use of his name. Hamas, Mr. Abu Marzouk said, thought that Mr. Netanyahu wanted an agreement that would permit Israel to invade Rafah after its hostages are released. A report in Al-Qahera News, an Egyptian state-owned television channel, said that a Hamas delegation would return to Cairo on Tuesday, but the senior Hamas official said that the group hadn’t made a decision yet.

Persons: Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Mousa Abu Marzouk, Biden, won’t, ”, Abu Marzouk, Mr, Bill Burns, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Peter Baker, Michael Crowley Organizations: Hamas, Sunday, Central Intelligence Agency, Qatari, Qahera Locations: Gaza, Israel, Cairo, Rafah, Kerem, United States, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Doha, Al

☆ Rafah evacuation: Israel’s IDF tells Gazans in parts of eastern Rafah to ‘evacuate immediately’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Helen Regan | Sophie Jeong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Northern Gaza is already experiencing a “full-blown famine” which is rapidly spreading across the strip after almost seven months of war, the World Food Programme warned over the weekend. Three IDF soldiers were killed and three critically injured in the rocket attack which was claimed by Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades. It was not clear whether the call for evacuation was in response to the attack at Kerem Shalom, and the border crossing remained closed on Monday. The IDF would also not put an exact timeframe for how long people in eastern Rafah have to evacuate or offer assurances that the area they would move to would not be shelled. As I said, we’re having real-time situational assessments and assessing the situation,” said the IDF’s Shoshani.

Persons: CNN —, ”, ” Avichay Adraee, Adraee, Salam, Tiba Zaraa, Jens Laerke, Nadav Shoshani, Israel, Yoav Galant, Al, we’re, Shoshani, “ Organizations: CNN, IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, Defense Army, Food, Israeli, IDF, Hamas, United Nations Locations: Rafah, Gaza, “, Al, Geneva . Northern Gaza, ”, Egypt, Israel, Kerem Shalom

☆ Hamas Claims Rocket Attack That Closes Key Crossing Between Israel and Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Liam Stack | More About Liam Stack | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Hamas said on Sunday that its armed wing had fired rockets at Israeli forces near the Kerem Shalom border crossing between Gaza and Israel. The Israeli military said about 10 rockets had been fired from an area near the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt toward Kerem Shalom. Kerem Shalom is one of the few crossings through which humanitarian aid is able to enter the Gaza Strip. After the attack on Sunday, the army said it was closed to the passage of aid trucks. Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and said it showed that Hamas was not interested in having aid enter the territory, parts of which a United Nations official says are experiencing “a full-blown famine.”

Persons: Kan, Kerem Shalom, ” Organizations: Israel’s Foreign Ministry, United Nations Locations: Kerem, Gaza, Israel, Egypt, Kerem Shalom

☆ Hamas says latest cease-fire talks have ended. Israel vows military operation in 'very near future'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The latest round of Gaza cease-fire talks ended in Cairo after "in-depth and serious discussions," the Hamas militant group said Sunday, reiterating key demands that Israel again rejected. The defense minister claimed Hamas wasn't serious about a deal and warned of "a powerful operation in the very near future in Rafah and other places across all of Gaza." The Israeli military reported 10 projectiles were launched at the crossing in southern Israel and said its fighter jets later struck the source. Hamas would start by releasing female civilian hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Israel blames Hamas for civilian deaths, accusing it of embedding in residential and public areas.

Persons: Israel, Israel didn't, Yoav Gallant, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Ismail Haniyeh, Kerem Shalom, Cindy McCain, Attar, Abu Youssef al Organizations: Hamas, Food, NBC, Najjar Locations: Deir Balah, Gaza, Israel, Cairo, Rafah, Egypt, Qatar, Qatar's Al Jazeera, U.S, Israeli, Lebanese

CNN —Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he “cannot accept” Hamas’ demands to end the war in Gaza as the two sides traded blame amid fresh ceasefire talks that showed little sign of a breakthrough. But the latest comments from Israel and Hamas show how far apart the two remain. He said Hamas’s demand that Israel withdraw from Gaza was out of the question. Most recently, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held another round of high-stakes talks in Israel on Wednesday. Following the rocket barrage, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) blamed Hamas aid not reaching the besieged strip.

Persons: CNN —, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Ismail Haniyeh, Israel, Vahid, Haniyeh, ” Netanyahu, ”, Antony Blinken, Yoav Gallant, ” Galant, ” Gallant, COGAT Organizations: CNN, CNN — Israel’s, Sunday, US, Israeli, ”, Defense Ministry, IDF, Israel Defense Forces, Brigades Locations: Gaza, Cairo, Israel, Egypt, ”, The State, “ Israel, Rafah, Gazan, Kerem Shalom, Territories

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